A Chance Occurrence
by Mystical Jade
Summary: Ash and Gang meet a new person on their journey... Which turns into a series of events. Read and Review, please. [Status: Complete]
1. The Meeting

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in the following fanfiction. This is strictly for your entertainment, and is not meant to take credit from those where it's due. Enjoy. 

***** 

ACO, Part 1: The Meeting 

**Note: Some the material in this fanfic comes from the episode called "Battle for the Badge" where Ash gets the Earth Badge.** 

Three dark figures could be seen in a kneeling position on the ground. The three were in a room that appeared to be some sort of throne room. As if on cue, a bright spotlight suddenly shone down on the trio, revealing them to be Jesse, James, and Meowth of the elusive Team Rocket. It would appear that they had returned from yet another failed attempt to capture the electric-mouse pokemon, Pikachu. 

"So," a loud voice boomed from the darkest shadow of the room. "Have you successfully completed your mission, or did you manage to screw up again?" 

Jesse and James looked at each other nervously and cleared their throats. "Well, the plan went fine, sir," the two teammates squeaked out at the same time. 

"But," the loud voice boomed again, full of omnipotence. 

"However," Jesse continued, "what happened next wasn't our fault. That meddlesome boy and his friends were. . ." 

"Enough! I grow tired of your incompetence," the owner of the voice said, this time more calmly. At that point, a man, dressed in an obviously expensive suit, stepped out from the shadows. Shrouded half in darkness and half in light, the man began to speak. "I shall save you the trouble of coming up with another plan that will surely end in failure," he stated. The Persian that he was stroking seemed to snicker, and Meowth scowled. 

"Giovanni, sir," James began. "The three of us are fully capable of completing this mission. We've just had a few set backs and. . ." 

"Silence," Giovanni bellowed, his voice shaking the room. "One more outburst from you, James, and you will be dispatched from this establishment." He stopped to look pointedly at James before he continued. "And you know what that means." 

"Yes, sir," James replied quietly, shrinking back in fear. 

"Now, here's what I have planned," Giovanni began . . . 

***** 

Meanwhile, Ash, Brock, Misty, Togepi, and Pikachu were leaving Viridian City and were heading towards the Viridian Forest. Ash had just earned his eighth and final badge -- the Earth Badge. The trio of friends were celebrating and talking excitedly as they walked along. 

"Did you see the look on Jesse's face when she got shocked?? That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever seen," Ash exclaimed. 

"Yeah," Brock answered. "Those three just don't know when to quit. How many times must they be battered and bruised before they realize that they'll never get Pikachu?" 

"Cha! Pika pika pi (Yeah! I'm invincible)," Pikachu added. 

Ash chuckled and told his friends what Pikachu had said. The trio burst into laughter. Once they had calmed down, Misty said, "So, Ash, where are we headed off to now?" 

"Geez, I don't know," he replied. "A vacation right about now sounds really great, maybe the beach. We could all use a little fun and sun. Sunbathing, surfing, beach volleyball . . ." 

"Don't forget to mention all the girls, Ash," Brock interrupted. 

"And the guys," Misty added. 

"Uh, yeah," Ash continued. "We'll get to meet new people." 

All nodded in agreement. Then Misty quizzically added, "Well it sounds like a plan, then. That is, of course, if you don't get us lost, Ash!" 

"Hey! I never once got us lost, Misty," Ash replied angrily. "We just simply got sidetracked." 

"Sidetracked? Ha! Admit it, Ash Ketchum. You get us lost every single time," Misty retorted. 

"I do not!" 

"You do, too!" 

"Do not!" 

"Do too!" 

As the two friends continued one of several daily fights, Brock sat down on a nearby boulder. He had grown so accustomed to Ash and Misty's daily routine that he was able to block them out and think to himself. 'Those two remind me of Team Rocket,' he said, chuckling a little. 'They just don't know when to quit! It's unbelievable.' The two continued to fight while Brock watched with growing annoyance. "Hey you two," he cut in, somewhat angrily. "If you don't stop bickering, we'll never get anywhere!" 

"I won't stop until Ash, here, admit he's wrong," Misty said haughtily. "Ash, just say you get us lost." 

"Fat chance of that happening Misty," Ash retorted. "We get sidetracked." 

"How about this, you're both wrong," Brock said. "We go on mini adventures." 

"Be quiet, Brock," the two yelled in unison. 

Brock glared at the duo and said, "Fine! I'll just do that." With that, Brock stood up, grabbed his satchel, and stormed off. Ash and Misty were too engrossed in their argument and didn't notice as their friend gathered his belongings and left. 

***** 

Brock had walked for about twenty minutes before he slowed his pace. "Those two have some nerve," Brock fumed out loud, not paying any attention to his surroundings. "I spent three years of my life with those . . . those unappreciative brats!" He stopped to gather his surroundings and sighed heavily. "And just to think, I could have spent those three years going on several dates with hundreds, no, thousands of beautiful women!" He shook his head and then continued, "When it comes to the love department, I really stink. I'm a complete failure when it comes to love just like Team Rocket are failures when it comes to stealing Pikachu. I'm the Team Rocket of love!" As he finished his last sentence, a waterfall of tears began to fall. "It's just not fair!" 

"Excuse me," a female voice said, coming from behind Brock. 

Brock slowly turned towards the beautiful voice that he had just heard. To him, it sounded like an angel would sound. It also reminded him of a soft breeze whispering over a meadow full of flowers in bloom. Finally, Brock stood face to face with the girl who had spoken to him. She was the most beautiful woman that he had seen. Even to him, that was a shock because in his opinion, every girl he came across was beautiful. The poor boy was speechless. She stood about 5'7" in height to his own 5'10". Her hair was a shade of pink and her eyes were the color of a placid blue lake. She gave Brock a warm smile. 

"Has the cat caught your tongue," she inquired politely. "I could have sworn I heard you talking a few seconds ago." 

***** 

OK, well that's it for now. Who is this mysterious girl and where did she come from? More importantly, will Brock be able to talk to her? Stay tuned! 


	2. Rock and Water Don't Mix

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in the following fanfiction. This is strictly for your entertainment, and is not meant to take credit from those where it's due. Enjoy. 

***** 

ACO, Part 2: Rock and Water Don't Mix 

RECAP: Ash had just earned his eighth badge. Brock, Ash, and Misty were trying to figure out what to do next when Ash and Misty broke into yet another fight. Fed up with his friends' antics, Brock stormed off deeper into the Viridian Forest where he met a mysterious girl . . . 

"Has the cat caught your tongue," she repeated. "Or is it a habit of yours to stare?" 

"I'm sorry," Brock replied, breaking out of the trance the girl in front of him had unknowingly put him in. 

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't mean to sound so snappy," she said, casting her eyes towards the ground. 

Brock took a step towards the girl. "P-please, it's no problem. Let's start all over." 

The girl looked back up, and to Brock's surprise, flashed him another one of the dazzling smiles that had put him into a trance earlier. "My name is Julia," she offered. 

"I'm Brock," he said, extending his hand. 

"Brock, huh," Julia replied, taking his hand. She watched as he put her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before he released it. "Well, you certainly are a charmer," she exclaimed, blushing slightly. Suddenly her face lit up as if remembering something significant. "You wouldn't happen to be the Brock from Pewter City, would you?" 

"Actually, yes I am. But how did you know that," he asked, with a hint of suspicion in his voice. 

"I don't blame you for being suspicious, Brock. You see," she paused to search through her backpack before continuing. "I, too, am a pokemon trainer. And this is how I know who you are." Julia pulled out an issue of Gym Leaders of Tomorrow. On the front cover was a picture of himself, alongside Ash and Misty. 

Brock sighed sadly as something dawned on him. "I suppose that you'd like to battle for a Boulder Badge?" 

"Actually, no," Julia replied. "I only ran into you by chance. However now that you mention it, a battle with a gym leader would be excellent experience for my pokemon." She studied Brock's face and noticed a look of disappointment upon his features. "Of course, I would only want to battle for the experience. I could never ask you for a badge since we're not in your gym." 

This seemed lift Brock's spirits because his face lit up instantly. "Ok, then. All Pokemon League Rules apply. Does one on one sound good?" 

"Yes, that's fine with me," she replied. 

"Then I choose Onix. Go Onix!" 

"Go Cloyster," Julia exclaimed, throwing a pokeball into the air. 

"Onix, use tackle attack!" The rock pokemon obeyed and slammed the Cloyster into a tree. 

"Oh no! That's ok, Cloyster! Counter with your aurora beam." The beam hit Onix, stunning the pokemon. "Now, while he's dazed, use spike cannon," Julia commanded. 

"Onix! Quickly, use harden!" Just as Cloyster's spikes were about to hit Onix, it hardened, and the other pokemon's attack had no affect. "Now Onix, use screech!" 

"Ok, Cloyster! You're a little defensively weaker, now, so be careful," Julia told her pokemon. "Try aurora beam again." 

Just as Cloyster was about to use the powerful beam, Brock said, "Oh no you don't! Onix, bind!" With one swift movement, Onix wrapped itself around Cloyster and began to squeeze tightly. "Ok Onix, let's finish this! Slam!" Onix hesitated for a moment, but obeyed and slammed the already weak pokemon into the ground. 

"Please Cloyster, get up," Julia begged. However, the pokemon was too weak. Julia sighed and said, "That's match. You win, Brock. Congratulations." She gave him a small smile to assure that there were no hard feelings. 

Brock returned he smile. "You know, you're an excellent trainer." 

"No, I'm not. I had the advantage over you, and I still lost! Just look at poor Cloyster," she responded. She bent down and gently stroked her pokemon. "I'll get you to the Pokemon Center as soon as I can. Until then, Cloyster return." Julia aimed a pokeball at the injured pokemon, and placed the ball back into her bag. "Well, I better be on my way soon," Julia said, turning back towards Brock. 

"So soon," Brock asked. He realized what he had said and quickly tried to cover it up. "Uh . . . I mean, um, you're traveling alone, right?" 

"Yes," she answered slowly. 

"Well, how about you come with me, then," he asked, turning red. "With me and my friends, I mean. Well, you'll be with my friends, and me of course. You'll be traveling with us," Brock stumbled out, turning a deeper shade of red. 

Julia smiled and placed her hand lightly on Brock's arm. "I'd love to travel with you, Brock." She paused and then added, "And your friends, of course." 

Julia's touch only made Brock turn a darker shade of red, which resembled a light purple. "Th-that's great. We should be on our way, then." 

Julia picked up her bag and looped arms with Brock with her free arm. "So, which way do we go?" 

Brock was surprised by her actions, but quickly recovered. "That way," he said, pointing behind him. 

The two turned and began to walk in the direction that Brock pointed. Then Julia said, "Perhaps you should tell me about your friends." 

***** 

Well, thanks for reading my second fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it! What has become of Ash and Misty, and how will they react to Brock's new friend? Stay tuned for Part 3! 


	3. A Battle for Trust

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic. All other standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

*** 

ACO, Part 3: A Battle for Trust 

RECAP: Deep in the Viridian Forest, Brock encountered a mysterious girl. Upon revealing her identity, she challenged Brock to a pokemon match. The battle was close, and Brock barely won. However, the two became friends, and went off to look for Ash and Misty . . . 

"Come on, Ash! Just admit it already," Misty yelled. 

"I can't admit to anything that's not true," Ash yelled back, sticking out is tongue. At that point, Misty punched him in his head - really hard. "Ouch! Why did you do . . . Wait a sec," Ash paused. "Where's Brock?" 

"Don't you dare try to change the subject, Ash Ketchum! Brock's right over there," she said, turning to point towards the boulder. "Hey! He's not there anymore!" 

"Yeah, well maybe that's because I'm over here," Brock stated. 

Ash and Misty jumped at the voice and turned quickly to see who it was. "Brock," they said in unison. They ran over to their friend. "Are you ok, Brock? You look a little flushed. Where'd you go off to," Ash asked all at once. 

A dark shadow appeared on Brock's face as he remembered the reason he had left in the first place. "Nevermind that," he replied, dismissing his thoughts. "I'd like for you guys to . . ." 

"Hey Brock," Misty interrupted. "Who's that beside you?" 

Brock gritted his teeth and glared at Misty. He hated when she did that. "Well, if you'd let me finish my sentence, I would . . ." 

"You sure are pretty," Ash cut in, walking over to the girl. 

"WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE MINUTE," Brock yelled. "Can't you just listen to me? Just once!" 

"Brock," Julia began. "Maybe I should just introduce myself." She turned towards Brock's friends, who now stood in silence. They were shocked from his outburst. "My name is Julia," she began again. "And like the three of you I'm a pokemon trainer." 

"This is Misty," Ash said, pointing towards his red-haired friend and ignoring her 'I can talk for myself' glare. "And I'm . . ." 

"Ash Ketchum," Julia cut in. "Brock has told me so much about you . . . And you too, Misty," she quickly added, noticing the other girl glaring at Brock. 

"It's nice to meet you, Julia," Ash said. "Say, since you're a trainer, how about a pokemon battle?" 

"Oh come on, Ash," Misty exclaimed. "Before you get all serious, we could at least make the rest of the introductions first! This is Togepi," Misty said, turning back towards Julia. 

"Togepi? I've never head of that pokemon before," Julia said, a little confused. 

"That's because Togepi is a new species of pokemon," Misty explained. "We found Togepi about a year ago." For some reason, Misty looked over at Ash and was surprised to see him glaring at her. "Oh yeah. And this is Ash's Pikachu," she added, rolling her eyes. 

"Oh how cute! Hello there, Pikachu," Julia began kneeling down to pet him. To her surprise, Pikachu growled at her. He back away slowly as his cheeks started to crackle with electricity. "I guess your Pikachu doesn't like me," Julia stated, standing up again. 

"Pikachu! That's not very nice of you," Ash scolded. Then he looked at Julia and said, "I'm really sorry about that." 

"That's ok," she stated. "I guess he just doesn't like strangers too much." 

"Pika pi! (That's right!)" 

Ash shook his head at Pikachu and sighed. "Well, how about that match now, Julia?" 

"Ok," she said with a grin. "How about one pokemon each?" When Ash shook his head in agreement, Julia threw out one of her pokeballs and said, "Go Rhyhorn! I choose you!" 

"What's that," Ash asked, pointing Dexter, his pokedex, towards Julia's pokemon. 

"Rhyhorn, the rock type pokemon," Dexter stated. "Its massive bones are 1000 times harder than human bones. It can easily knock a trailer flying." 

'Perfect,' Ash thought to himself. 'I should be able to win this match easily.' He reached for a pokeball and said, "Bulbasaur, go!" 

"Pika pi! Pi pikachu! (Wait Ash! I want to battle!)" 

"What? But Pikachu, you might not win against a rock-type pokemon," Ash said in a concerned voice. 

"Pikachu, chu? Chu pi pika pi, pikachu. (I beat Onix, didn't I? If Julia can beat me, I'll try to be nice to her.)" 

Ash sighed and pointed the pokeball at Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, return! Go Pikachu." 

"Chu! (Alright!)" 

Julia bent down to her pokemon and stroked him on his nose. "Ok, Rhyhorn," she whispered. "Try to shield your horn away from Pikachu's electric attacks." She then stood to her full height, preparing for the upcoming battle. "Ok Rhyhorn! Use leer now!" The pokemon obeyed. "Now quickly, Rhyhorn. Horn attack!" Rhyhorn charged at the tiny Pikachu and sent him flying backwards. 

"Oh no! Pikachu," Ash screamed. He sighed in relief as Pikachu got to his feet. "That's it Pikachu! This one is tough. Use agility now!" However, Pikachu did not listen to Ash and used thundershock instead. The attack hardly phased the other pokemon, and Pikachu could only stand in confusion. 

"Great job, Rhyhorn," Julia beamed. "Use take down." 

Ash watched in horror as the rhinoceros-like pokemon charged. "Watch out Pikachu," Ash yelled. However, his warning came too late, and the tiny electric-mouse pokemon was freight-trained. "PIKACHU!!!" Everyone stood in shock as Ash ran over to his injured pokemon and scooped him into his arms. "Oh Pikachu," Ash whimpered, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. He shook the pokemon gently. "Pikachu, wake up." 

Slowly, Pikachu opened his eyes and shook his head. "Cha. (Ouch.)" Then to everyone's amazement, Pikachu got up and stood in front of Rhyhorn with a challenging look in his eyes. 

"Pikachu, are you sure you can still battle," Ash asked. Pikachu only answered with a shake of his head. 

"You've got one courageous Pikachu, Ash," Julia said. She looked down at her Rhyhorn, who was looking up at her with uncertainty. "Let's finish this, Rhyhorn," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Just don't hurt him too badly." 

As the pokemon stood and looked at each other, Ash gave his command. "Pikachu, use agility now!" This time, Pikachu obeyed and began to run around the Rhyhorn. 

"Try to follow his movements," Julia ordered. "Use tail whip when you see the opportunity." Rhyhorn swung his tail, but Pikachu quickly jumped out of the way. 

"Pikachu, use quick attack," Ash told his exhausted pokemon. 

Julia noticed that Rhyhorn was breathing hard and that he, too, was very tired. "Finish it now, Rhyhorn! Horn drill." 

The two pokemon charged at each other. As Pikachu jumped into the air to deliver his final attack, Rhyhorn reared up and his head connected with Pikachu's. The small, yellow pokemon was knocked out unconscious. 

"Good job, Rhyhorn," Julia said, congratulating her pokemon. She pointed a pokeball at him and said, "Return." She then walked over to Pikachu and picked him up. "You poor thing," she whispered, planting a kiss on the bump that was beginning to form on Pikachu's head. She handed Ash his pokemon. "Don't look so sad, Ash," Julia told the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That was a tough battle. I honestly didn't think that I would beat you." She smiled and then continued, "I mean, come on! What were the odds that I would beat the Great Ash Ketchum?" 

Ash smiled slightly. "I'm not mad or anything like that," he explained. "I just haven't been beaten by anyone besides a gym leader in a very long time." 

"You're finally eating some humble pie, eh, Ash," Misty asked ever so sweetly. Ash only glared at his friend and didn't reply. 

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Brock said quickly, trying to avoid another fight between Ash and Misty. "Julia almost beat me, too. Her Cloyster is a very well-trained pokemon." 

Ash began to smile. "Oh wow, Julia. You have a Cloyster?" He watched for Misty's reaction from the corner of his eye. "Misty has always wanted one of those, but can never seem to catch one." 

Misty's eyes flashed. 'She has a Cloyster,' she thought to herself. 'That's not fair!' 

"Misty," Julia suddenly said, breaking into the other girl's thoughts. 

"What," Misty snapped, feeling both half-annoyed and half-embarrassed. She had no idea how long Julia had been talking to her. 

Julia frowned at Misty and repeated her question. "I asked what kind of pokemon trainer you were." 

Misty blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I'm a water pokemon trainer." There was an uncomfortable silence after that, and it seemed like hours before anyone spoke. 

"Um, how about we just head for Viridian City," Ash suggested. 

Everyone nodded in agreement. As the four teenagers walked back towards the city, they began to talk once more. Julia suggested that they heal their pokemon while in the city and Misty said they should probably get a couple of rooms and spend the night in town, since it would be getting dark soon. As they continued to walk and talk, no one seemed to notice that three pairs of eyes were watching their every movement. 

*** 

Thank you for continuing to read my fanfic! What do you think so far? Feedback would be really great! Stay tuned for Part 4! 


	4. A Short-lived Battle

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in the following fanfic. All other standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

ACO, Part 4: A Short-lived Battle 

RECAP: Brock introduced Julia to Ash, Misty, and their pokemon. However, Pikachu didn't like the newcomer and said the only way he'd be nice was if she could beat him in a pokemon battle. After a though bout, Julia proved her ability to do just that. As the friends returned to Viridian City to heal their pokemon, they didn't notice that they were being followed . . . 

"Three years is a long time to know each other," Julia said. Ash, Brock, Misty, and newcomer Julia had been chatting like old friends as they walked back to Viridian City. 

"We've been through thick and thin together," Ash started. 

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Especially when it comes to Team Rocket." 

"As a matter of fact," Misty began, "Team Rocket has caused most of the problems that we've had along our journey." 

"I've heard of Team Rocket before," Julia said. "I hope that I don't have to ever run into them, though." To her surprise, her friends were laughing. "What's so funny," she demanded, getting a little annoyed. 

"Maybe they're laughing because they know there's no avoiding Team Rocket," a male voice said from behind the four friends. 

"Prepare for trouble." 

"And make that double." 

"To protect the world from devastation." 

"To unite all peoples within our nation." 

"To denounce the evils of truth and love." 

"To extend our reach to the stars above." 

"Jesse." 

"James." 

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light." 

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight." 

"Meowth, that's right!" 

"J-jesse," Julia whispered almost inaudibly. 

"Huh? Did you say something Julia," Brock asked. 

"Yeah, um, I said you three didn't warn me about the talking Meowth," Julia quickly lied. She noticed Brock look at her skeptically. She sighed in relief when he turned his attention back towards Team Rocket. She then looked to study Meowth. 

"What cha starin' at girlie," Meowth asked. 

"N-nothing. You're just so cute," Julia stated. "I can't believe you're a common thief." 

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Misty said. "Especially in the case of this Meowth." 

"She has a point, Julia," Brock said. "This Meowth may look cute, but he's rotten to the core." 

"True," Ash added. "Then again, you can tell what someone is like just by observing his personality. Take Misty, for example. She's really defensive most of the time, so you can tell she's loud and has a big mouth." Ash ducked just as Misty swung her fist at him. "Do you see what I mean? I just made a true statement and - OW!" 

Misty smiled as her fist connected with Ash's nose. "You have no room to talk, Ash. You're so dense that -" 

"We don't have time for your arguments Ash and Misty," Brock said irritably. "Or did you forget that we have company?" 

"Oh yeah," Ash replied. He sighed and then prepared his usual speech. "You'll never get my Pikachu, Team -" 

"Actually," James said, cutting Ash off, "we're not here for that Pikachu. We've been watching the four of you for quite some time, now." 

"That's right," Jesse continued. "That Rhyhorn is far superior to that rodent." 

"So if ya know what's for the best, you'll hand over dat pokemon," Meowth finished. 

"What? Never," Julia shouted. "At least not without a fight. Rhyhorn, go! Use tail whip now!" 

Before Team Rocket even had a chance to react to the challenge, the rhinoceros-like pokemon rushed at them and sent the trio flying through the air. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again," the three cried in unison as they disappeared from sight." 

"Great job, Rhyhorn," Julia exclaimed, giving him a thumbs-up. "Return." 

The four friends continued to make their way towards the city. All were off in their own world as they walked along. Julia was deep in her own thoughts until she heard Ash talking. "What did you say, Ash?" 

"I said that you did a great job back there," Ash repeated. "But I'm afraid you'll have to get used to Team Rocket. They've been trying to get Pikachu since I started my journey." 

"That's gotta be annoying," Julia commented. "But I've got to admit that I was a little surprised that they wanted my Rhyhorn, when they could have Pikachu. Those two clowns obviously aren't educated when it comes to pokemon. If I were those two, I would want a Pikachu over any other pokemon any day of the week. They don't know what they're talking about." 

"Thanks Julia," Ash beamed. "That really means a lot to me." 

The four continued on their way when they finally made it to their destination. Upon arriving in Viridian, they headed straight for the Pokemon Center. After Brock, Ash, and Julia gave Nurse Joy their injured pokemon, the four friends went to sit in the waiting area. Ash sat in a chair that was next to a magazine stand to read the latest issue of Pokemon World while Misty went over to a window to watch the bustling city. Brock and Julia wen to sit at a table for two after they got some tea. 

"Hey Julia, can I ask you a question," Brock inquired. 

"Sure," Julia answered. "What is it?" 

"Well, I was just wondering how long you were going to stay with me," Brock asked, not realizing the slip-up he had made. 

"Well, I'm not sure," Julia began slyly. She took Brock's right hand between hers and squeezed it. "I didn't realize we were together," she continued, smiling as she watched him squirm around in his seat. 

"What? I mean, um .... What I meant to say was that, uh ... What I was trying to say ..." He stopped speaking when he noticed Julia laughing. "Um, what's so funny?" 

"You are, Brocky," she answered, releasing his hand. "You're so shy that it's not funny!" 

Ash overheard their conversation and said, "Well, Julia, then you don't know the real Brock!" 

"Ash, be quiet," Brock hissed through clenched teeth. Ash laughed and went back to reading the magazine. Brock turned back to Julia and said, "Well, maybe you should help me overcome my shyness. How about we go out tonight," he asked hopefully, crossing his fingers underneath the table. 

"Sure, Brock. That sounds great," Julia answered. 

"You don't have to, of course. I would understand." Brock frowned. "Wait a sec. Did you just say yes?" 

"Yeah, I did say yes. I'd love to go out with you. I thought you'd never ask," Julia said. 

"Are you guys making plans," Misty suddenly asked. She had been walking around the room when she noticed a poster on the wall. "Because if you haven't, there's a carnival in town for a couple of days." 

"Cool, a carnival," Ash exclaimed. 

"Well, me and Julia do have plans," Brock answered. 

"How about you and Ash go to the carnival tonight," Julia began, "and then all four of us will go tomorrow night." 

Ash and Misty looked at each other. Both shrugged their shoulders. "Ok," Misty said. "That's what we'll do, then." 

Julia smiled her thanks to Misty. "Ok, how about me and you go and get two rooms," Julia said to Misty. "And Brock, you stay here just in case our pokemon are ready. Ash, you should probably go and buy tickets for tonight," Julia finished, handing him some money. "It'll be my treat tonight." 

"Well, I'll wait outside for you, Julia," Misty said. "Come on, Ash," she ordered, grabbing her friend by his wrist. 

As the two walked out the door, Julia began to follow. She stopped and walked back over to Brock. "By the way, I want to thank you. Thank you for being such a nice guy, and thank you, most of all, for believing in my skills as a trainer when I didn't. It really means a lot." She leaned forward and kissed Brock on his cheek before turning to catch up with Misty. "I'll see you later tonight," she said, before walking out the door. 

Brock watched as Julia left. "I think I finally found the one," he said out loud. He then sat back down at the table to finish his tea and watch the sun set. 

(Meanwhile, underneath the window of the Viridian Pokemon Center waiting room.) 

"Did you hear that, Jesse," James asked his partner. Jesse, James, and Meowth overheard the plans that Ash, Brock, Misty, and Julia had made for that night. "Looks like we're in luck!" 

"Yes, James. It seems like we've finally found our lucky break," Jesse answered. "But who should we go after? Pikachu or that new girl's pokemon?" James shrugged his shoulders in reply. 

"You numbskulls," Meowth yelled, scratching both Jesse and James across their faces. "We stick to our original plan! What we told those lamebrains earlier was just a decoy! REMEMBER?" Both rubbed their faces where Meowth had scratched them and nodded at the third member of the team. "Ok, then let's get movin'," Meowth ordered. The three then disappeared into the night . . . 

Well, it looks like love is in the air for Brock and Julia. Will their date start a blossoming relationship, or will Brock have to return to his availability status? What sinister plan has Team Rocket cooked up this time? Stay tuned for Part 5! 


	5. Double Date

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic. This is for entertainment purposes only, so enjoy! 

ACO, Part 5: Double Date 

RECAP: After a brief encounter with Team Rocket, Ash and company finally made it back to Viridian City. As the four were waiting in the Pokemon Center for their pokemon, Brock found the courage to ask Julia out on a date, and, to his surprise, she said yes. At the same moment, Ash and Misty made plans to go the carnival that was in town. All the while, Team Rocket overheard their conversation and made plans of their own... 

"So Julia," Misty began as the two girls were heading towards the Viridian City Hotel, "where are you and Brock going tonight?" 

"I don't know," Julia replied. "I suppose we'll go to a dinner and probably a movie afterwards." She looked at Misty from the corner of her eye. So, what about you and Ash?" 

"What do you mean," she asked, blushing slightly. 

"Well, all I meant was what are you going to do at the carnival," Julia replied, smiling at the other girl's embarrassment. 

"Oh. I thought that you meant . . .nevermind," Misty said. "We'll probably just ride the main rides. You know, the ferris wheel, the merry-go-round, the bumper cars. Stuff like that." 

"No Tunnel of Love," Julia asked, trying to suppress her laughter. 

"Wha-what? Wh-why would we do that," Misty asked incredulously. 

"Well, it's pretty obvious that the two of you like each other," Julia explained. "What confuses me is why you don't do something about your feelings." 

"Ash would never like me," Misty said sadly. "I'm so annoying to him and bossy. He would laugh in my face if I ever told him how I really felt." 

"You never know until you try," Julia reassured. "Say, how about we go on a little shopping spree before our dates tonight? After we get the rooms?" 

"Ok," Misty said, a smile beginning to spread across her face. "That sounds like a great idea!" 

"Maybe we can even get something new to wear. And when we get ready, I'll do our hair," Julia offered. "Then there will be no way that either Brock or Ash will refuse us!" The two began to laugh and continued walking. 

Ash walked back towards the Pokemon Center after he had bought tickets for Misty and himself. 'Why can't I express my feelings towards Misty like I did towards Julia,' he asked himself. 'It's funny since . . .' 

"Hey Ash," Brock called out, walking towards Ash with two pokeballs in his hands, and Pikachu by his side. 

"Pika pi! (Hey Ash!)" 

"Brock," Ash called out. He ran up to his two friends and Pikachu jumped up into his arms. "Hey there, Pikachu. How are you feeling, buddy?" 

"Pi pikachu. (I've never felt better.)" 

"Nurse Joy came into the waiting area ten minutes after you guys left," Brock said. "She told me that it didn't take as long to heal the pokemon as she thought it would." 

"That's great, Brock," Ash commented. 

"What's wrong, Ash," his friend asked with concern. "Is something bothering you?" 

"No, not really," Ash replied. "But I was thinking about you and Julia, and how you guys hit it off so well. And I was just thinking about how I wished that me and Misty were the same." He paused and let out a sigh. "Even though I don't act like it, I really do like Misty. And more than in just a friendly way." 

"Ash, I knew all along. It's really obvious how you feel about her," Brock said. 

"Yeah, I know. But she would never go for a creep like me," he replied angrily. "I'm just not nice enough to her, and there's no way that she could ever like me." 

"Well," Brock began slowly, "maybe you can change the image that you obviously thinks she sees you as. Be nice to her for a change. Do what she wants to do tonight." 

"Thanks Brock," Ash said. "We should probably go and see if we can find the girls, then." 

Later that night . . . 

"Just a second," Julia said as she heard a knock at the door. Julia and Misty had met up with Ash and Brock just as they were finished shopping. The boys had wondered what was in the bags the girls were carrying, but they told them it was a surprise. They gave Ash and Brock their room key and went off to their own room to get ready. Julia took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hey Brock, you look great," she said with a smile. "Where's Ash?" 

"Oh . . .um, thanks. He's . . .uh, in there," he stammered, pointing towards their door. "He'll be here soon." Brock stood quietly for a few minutes. 'Wow,' he thought. 'She looks stunning.' Julia was wearing a mini-skirt and a spaghetti-strap tank top. She wore black platform shoes that made her almost as tall as Brock, and a light sweater was draped over her arm. Her hair, pulled back in a simple ponytail, perfected the look. 

"Are you ready to go," she asked him. 

"Yeah," Brock stated, offering her his arm. "Let's go." Ash was coming out the room as the two walked off with their arms linked. 

"Ash, Misty's in the room. Go on in," Julia told him. "By the way, you look good," she added with a wink. "Have fun." 

Ash watched as Brock and Julia left, and then he turned towards the girls' door. He straightened out his hair and outfit one last time and then knocked lightly on the door. "Um . . .Misty? Are you in there," he asked, mentally smacking himself because of how dumb the question sounded. 

"Yeah, Ash. Come on in." 

He stepped inside and closed the door. Since Misty was nowhere to be seen, he assumed that she was in the bathroom. "I'll be right out," she said from the bathroom, confirming what he thought. 

"Ok," he answered, walking over to the mirror. He was wearing his usual outfit, only he didn't have on his hat or jacket. He triple checked to make sure he had the tickets, and then sat down in a chair that was in the corner of the room. 

In the bathroom, Misty was making last minute adjustments to her outfit. She, too, was wearing her usual outfit, except for she had lost the suspenders, and had a jacket tied around her waist. Her hair was also different, as it was pulled into a French braid. Earlier, Julia had bought the outfit that she was now wearing, however Misty didn't want to buy anything new in case Ash decided to wear something old. 'Well, here goes nothing,' she thought. She briefly crossed her fingers and then opened the door. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Ash," she said. As she noticed what he was wearing, she sighed in relief when she realized that her instincts not to buy anything new were correct. 

"That's ok," he answered. "It was worth the wait. You look nice." 

"Um . . .thanks, Ash," she said in shock. "You look nice, too." 

"I didn't want to buy anything since this is just the carnival," he said, waiting for her to yell at him. However, nothing happened. 'Well, so far, so good,' Ash thought to himself as the two walked out of the room. 'I hope everything goes great tonight.' 

"Wait Ash," Misty said. "Do you think we should bring Pikachu and Togepi?" 

"Yeah, sure. Maybe there's some place there that we can drop them off at. Good idea," he replied. 

"Or we could keep them with us," she said. 

"Or we could keep them with us. That's a great idea, too," Ash answered quickly, wanting to avoid a fight. After they got Pikachu and Togepi, they headed off towards the carnival. 

Julia and Brock were walking arm in arm by the Viridian City Lake. They had just finished watching a comedy flick at the movies, and were now headed to get a bite to eat. Brock glanced at Julia and noticed that she was shivering, so he gave her his jacket. "Here you go, Jules," he told her. 

"Thanks Brock," she said, putting on his jacket. She could still feel the heat from his body. "You know, it's kind of cute," she began. 

"What is," he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Well, this is only our first date, and we already have nicknames for each other. I call you Brocky, and you call me Jules," she finished. 

"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess we do," Brock answered, smiling a bit. He then stopped walking. "Jules, I need to ask you something." 

"Yes," she said, turning to face him. 

"Back there, when we ran into Team Rocket. I thought I heard you say Jesse's name as if you knew her." He looked at her with a "please don't lie to me" look. 

"Well," Julia began slowly, "that's because I do know Jesse. We used to go to school together, and were the best of friends. I guess you could probably say that I know her better than anyone else does." 

"So what happened," Brock inquired. 

"One of us changed, or maybe both. I'm don't know for sure," she said, looking into his eyes. "And that's the truth. I would never try to hurt you, Brocky." 

"Thank you, Julia," he said, taking her into his arms and hugging her. She stepped out from his hug, and kissed him. After several minutes in their embrace, they broke their kiss and continued walking. 

Seems like Brock and Julia are a couple now! How will the rest of their date go, and what about Ash and Misty? Stay tuned for Part 6. 

Feedback would be really great. Please leave a comment, or e-mail me at Jade4real1@aol.com (please make sure the subject says something mentioning my fanfic). I would really appreciate it a whole bunch! 


	6. Team Rocket Strikes Again

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story. All other disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

ACO, Part 6: Team Rocket Strikes Again 

RECAP: Brock & Julia and Ash & Misty are off on their dates. Ash and Misty head off to their night out while Brock learned the truth about why Julia seemed to know Jesse of Team Rocket . . . 

"Ash, what do you want to do next," Misty asked. 

"Whatever you'd like to do, Misty," Ash replied, giving her a small smile. 

'Wow,' she thought to herself, 'he sure is being nice to me. I wonder why?' Then, out loud, she said, "Well, how about we grab a bite to eat? That is if you're hungry." 

"Actually, I am," he replied. 

"How about some hamburgers," she asked. 

"Um, well, I thought you were sick of hamburgers, and wanted to eat at more fancy places," he replied. 'Oh man, this is not going good,' he thought to himself. 

"Ash Ketchum, this is a carnival! We're not going to find anyplace fancier than a hamburger stand," she began somewhat angrily. Misty sighed as she noticed her friend hang his head. She placed her hand under his chin and lifted his head up so that they looked each other in the eyes. "Ash," she began with a smile, "I appreciate your kindness, I really do." 

"But Misty," he said. 

"But nothing, Ash," she interrupted. "We'll have hamburgers, and then figure out what to do next. Together." 

"Ok! Hamburgers it is, then," he exclaimed. Ash grabbed Misty's hand and pulled her towards their awaiting dinner. 

"Mmm . . .That was great, Brock! I haven't had steak in such a long time," Julia said. Brock and Julia had just finished dinner. They decided to go back to their hotel because Brock wanted to cook dinner. "And it was even better because you cooked it. 

Brock's face turned a deep red. "Thanks Jules. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I usually did the cooking while me, Ash, and Misty were traveling. But once we were in town we ate at restaurants." 

"Well, you definitely are an excellent cook," she commented, beginning to clean off the table. 

"Here, let me help you," Brock offered, standing to help clean up the mess. 

"No, sit there, and I'll do this," Julia said, pushing him back down in his seat. "You did the cooking, so I'll do the cleaning." 

Brock sat down like he was told. 'She's so wonderful,' he thought. "So Julia," he said out loud, after watching her for several minutes, "tell me more about yourself." 

She stopped washing the dishes and turned towards Brock. "Wha-what do you want to know?" 

"You know, about where you grew up, your family. Stuff like that," he said. 

She sighed inwardly before she turned her attention back to the sink. "Well," Julia began, "I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Fuchsia City. I lived there with my parents. I was also really serious about this guy until we became Pokemon trainers. We totally broke it off once I decided to leave." 

"You sound so sad, Jules," Brock said. "You must have really loved him. Just how serious were you two?" 

"We were serious enough that we were engaged," she replied, pausing to let her revelation sink in. "I did love him," she continued, "and I guess in some ways I always will." As she finished up the dishes, Julia sat down across from Brock. "After our breakup, I was at the point where I thought I'd never feel anything for anyone ever again. Until I met you, that is." 

"Julia, I don't know what to say," Brock began. "I . . ." 

"You don't need to say anything, Brock," Julia assured him. 

"No, I really need to finally say this,' he began again, taking a deep breath. "I . . .I feel the same way towards you. Jules, you've changed me for the better. You have some kind of affect on me that I really like." He took her hands in his before continuing, "Usually when I first meet a girl, any girl, I get into this . . .this mode; this lovesick mode which girls can't stand. And when I fist met you, earlier, I reacted the same way. Only it was very, very different. And it felt right." 

"It must have been destiny, Brocky. We were meant to meet this way. To feel this way," Julia said. "And just to think, we've hardly known each other for a day!" 

As Brock and Julia were exchanging more info about each other, Ash and Misty, along with Pikachu and Togepi, had finished their meal and were walking around the grounds. 

"Well, Ash, what should we do now," Misty asked. 

"I don't know," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "We have probably ridden everything here." 

"Yeah, everything except for that," Misty said, stopping to point towards a ride. 

Ash stopped and looked in the direction Misty was pointing. "Th-the Tunnel of Love," he asked nervously. "S-sure. B-but only if you want to." 

"Come on, Ash! You could at least be a little more romantic, and sound a little more enthusiastic about it," she whined. "Pretty please?" 

"Well, okay Misty," he replied, trying to hide a smile. 

"Oh thank you, Ash," Misty exclaimed, surprising him by giving him a hug. 

"N-no problem, Misty," he said. 'This is perfect! Now I can tell her how I really feel,' he thought to himself. 

As they inched forward towards the front of the line, Misty was deep in her own thoughts. 'I'm going to tell him on the ride. It's the perfect setting. I just hope he feels the same way.' 

"Come on Misty," Ash said, breaking into her thoughts. "We're up." Ash stepped into the boat, and then helped Misty into it. She was holding Togepi in her arms, and Pikachu jumped in last. 

As the two friends floated along the dimly lit tunnel, they sat nervously. Every time one of them was going to say something, they thought better of it. After a couple of minutes, Misty decided to speak up. "You know Ash, I was wondering why you're being so nice to me. Is it because you think you can get out of buying me a bike? If that's the case, you can forget it!" 

"Geez, Misty! Why do you have to take everything the wrong way? I'm just trying to be nice to you for a change! For once, I just want to try to be nice," he shot back angrily. 

"I didn't mean anything by it," Misty said. She stood up, forgetting she was in a boat, and lost her balance. Before she fell out of the boat, Ash grabbed Misty's arm and pulled her to him. She looked up at him, and he met her gaze. 

"Misty, I'm being nice to you because I want to," he said quietly. "But it's also because I . . ." 

"Ain't dat sweet? The two little loveboids are having a Kodak moment," a voice with an accent said. "Prepare for trouble." 

"And make that double." 

"To protect the world from devastation." 

"To unite all peoples within our nation." 

"To denounce the evils of truth and love." 

"To extend our reach to the stars above." 

"Jesse." 

"James." 

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light." 

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight." 

"Meowth, that's right!" 

"Not you again," Misty whined. 

"You three have the worst timing in the world," Ash said through clenched teeth. 

"We're good at being the worst," Jesse said. 

"Boy, you sure got dat right," Meowth said sarcastically. 

"Be quiet Meowth," James told the cat-pokemon. "Just hand over that Pikachu," he ordered, directing his command towards Ash. 

"Never," he replied. "You'll never get Pikachu!" 

"Have it your way then, kid," Jesse said with an evil edge in her voice. "We won't be the ones that get hurt." The lights suddenly went off, and everyone was thrown into darkness. When the dim lighting came back on, Team Rocket was gone. 

"That was weird," Misty said. "They didn't even try to take Pikachu." 

"Yeah, but they sure did ruin the mood," Ash said with heavy disappointment in his voice. He blushed and then added, "Uh, I mean that we should probably leave in case they decide to come back." 

After Ash, Misty, and their pokemon got off the ride, they left the carnival and walked towards their hotel in silence. Ash glanced over at Misty when she wasn't paying attention, and Misty did the same. However, neither said anything. Finally, they reached the hotel. They made their way to the rooms, and as they stood at their doors, they turned to each other. 

"I had fun tonight Misty," Ash said. "We should be nice to each other like that more often." 

"I agree, Ash," she answered. "Although you were wrong about one thing." 

"And what was that," he asked warily. 

Misty stepped forward and kissed Ash on his cheek. "Team Rocket didn't ruin anything. I had a great time." 

'Here goes nothing,' Ash thought to himself. He pulled Misty to him and kissed her. She was surprised by the kiss, but relaxed and began to kiss him back. When the kiss ended, Ash walked back to his door and opened it. "Good night, Misty," he said before going in. 

"Good night, Ash," she whispered. "Sweet dreams." She opened her own door and noticed that Julia wasn't there. "Oh well," she said. She flopped down on her bed and began to smile. "I'll just have to fill her in tomorrow!" Misty then got into her nightgown and went to bed. 

Meanwhile, Julia was walking by herself outside the busy parts of Viridian. She had left Brock's room twenty minutes earlier. They had decided to call it a night because they were both tired. However, she had decided to get some fresh air. As she was walking, a hand reached out and clasped over her mouth. She tired to scream, but it came out almost inaudibly. She felt herself being pulled, and as she looked around, she noticed that she and her abductor were heading towards a black van. 

"Be quiet," the man growled, "and you won't be hurt." He threw her into the van and then climbed in after her. After he closed the door, he told someone in the front to drive. 

Julia backed up into a corner and tried to cover herself the best she could. 'I wish I had changed,' she said to herself as she looked down at her outfit, and used her sweater to cover up the best she could. "Who are you," she demanded, glaring at the man in front of her. 

"I said to shut your mouth," he yelled. They rode in silence for several minutes before the van came to a stop. The man threw open the door. "Come on," he ordered as he climbed out. 

Slowly, Julia followed her captor out of the van. When she climbed out, he grabbed her arm. "Hey! Let me go," she screamed. 

"As you wish," he said. He let go of her arm and she took several steps back. 

"What do you want with me? What did I do," she demanded. 

"What do I want," he asked. "It's simple. I will reveal to you who I am, and maybe you'll relax a bit." He took off his mask and shook out his hair. "Voila!" 

Julia's eyes grew big when she saw the man in front of her. "James!" 

James smiled. "The one and only." 

To Be Continued . . . 


	7. The Truth Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the characters in this story. All other standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

ACO, Part 7: The Truth Revealed 

RECAP: Brock/Julia and Ash/Misty finished up their night out. Brock and Julia learned more about each other while Ash and Misty shared their first kiss. However, all was not peachy because Julia was abducted while out walking by herself, late at night . . . 

*Note: This is the same night as the double date. 

Brock looked up from the book that he was reading as Ash came into the room they shared. "Hey Ash. How was your date?" He smiled as he noticed the happy look upon Ash's face. 'Ha! He must have had fun,' Brock thought to himself. 

"Brock, it was awesome! Me and Misty are finally getting along," Ash began excitedly. "We rode everything at the carnival, and it was a blast." A dark shadow crossed Ash's face. "Well, until Team Rocket showed up," he added with a frown. 

"You couldn't help it that those idiots showed up. What happened," Brock asked. 

"The strange thing is, well, nothing. Team Rocket made a couple of threats and then left," Ash explained. "Jesse told us that we'd regret our decision for not handing Pikachu over to them." 

"Now that's just disturbing," Brock replied. "Usually, they at least attempt to capture Pikachu." 

"I know what you mean, Brock. It's like they didn't even try." Ash frowned. "I wonder why?" 

"Well, there's no use trying to figure out their motive," Brock said. "I suggest we just get some sleep." 

"Oh no you don't, Brock," Ash exclaimed. "What about your date with Julia? How did that go?" 

Brock began to blush immediately as he remembered their embrace under the moonlight. "Well, um, the date went great! We saw a movie and then came back here to eat dinner. After that, we talked for a long time. I found out about her background and she about mine. We seem to have a lot in common." 

"That's great, Brock," Ash replied. "It's about time you finally found a girl who didn't slap you when you talked to her. We were getting so used to that!" 

"That's for sure," Brock answered. He smiled as if he knew something no one else knew. "I'm surprised my permanent color isn't black and blue!" The two began to laugh. After several minutes, their laughter subsided, and the room grew silent. "Well, Ash," Brock said, "we've got a lot to do tomorrow, so we should get some sleep." 

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ash agreed. "Good night, then." 

"Night Ash," Brock said as his friend headed towards the bathroom. Brock laid down in his bed and thought about his date. He smiled and began to doze off. By the time that Ash came out of the bathroom, Brock was fast asleep. 

~ The Next Morning ~ 

As she began to become more aware of the sun's glare, Julia slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She regretted her action immediately because the room began to spin. She groaned and held her head, which ached with a dull pain, to try to stop the spinning. "What happened," she asked quietly, directing her question to no one in particular. 

"Oh, Julia! You're awake," Misty said from the tiny kitchen in the room. She had been fixing herself some tea, and pulled down a second mug to make some for Julia. 

"Yes, I guess I am," she replied with a frown. "What time is it?" 

"It's a little after eleven," Misty said, bringing over Julia's tea. 

"Are you serious," Julia asked incredulously, as she accepted the mug. 

"Yep, 'fraid so," Misty replied. "You must have had fun last night. When I came back to the room after my date, you weren't even here." 

"Yes, well . . . How was your date with Ash," Julia asked, changing the subject. 

"It went perfectly," Misty exclaimed. "We rode everything, even the Tunnel of Love. And it was his idea!" As Misty went on about her date, Julia began to block out the words of the other girl. She thought back to the previous night, but her mind drew a blank. She put aside her thoughts to once again listen to what her friend was saying. "And the best part," Misty was saying, "was when Ash kissed me. It was sweet and innocent and . . . wonderful!" 

"That's great, Misty," Julia replied, giving a small smile. 

"Are you alright," Misty asked with concern. "You seem upset." 

"No, I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure something out, is all," Julia reassured her. "Besides, I've got this horrible headache, but a couple of aspirin will fix that. Sorry if I seem to be distracted. I'm really happy for you and Ash." 

"Thanks," she replied, turning a light shade of red. "It's really strange thinking of us as anything more than friends." Misty sighed with contentment, and shook her head. "Well, Brock and Ash want us to meet them down in the hotel's restaurant for brunch. As a matter of fact, I was about to wake you up." 

"Alright, that sounds like a good idea," Julia replied as her stomach growled. "Let me go take a shower, and we'll be on our way." Fifteen minutes later, Julia and Misty met the boys down in the restaurant. As Misty and Julia walked into the entrance, three pairs of hidden eyes were watching them from behind a planted pot nearby. 

"Do you think that the plan you made will work, James," Jesse asked. 

"Yes, I'm sure that nothing will go wrong this time," he replied. 

"Boy, if I had a nickel fer every time I've heard ya say dat, I'd be one rich pokemon," Meowth said. 

"Quiet Meowth," Jesse and James yelled in unison. 

"Fine, but we should find out what those four are doing," Meowth scowled. 

"But we already know from eavesdropping on them last night, Meowth," Jesse said. 

"You numbskull! It won't hurt to check twice," Meowth screamed. 

"Well, we won't get much of anything done sitting here," James interrupted. "Let's get going." 

"I'm staying here," Meowth interjected. "The three of us might look suspicious." Jesse and James put on some disguises so they could sit at a table near the four friends without being recognized. They sat down at a nearby booth and listened to the friends' conversation. 

"Hello ladies. Glad you could make it," Brock said. "How did you sleep last night, Jules?" 

"Fine, thanks," she answered. "So what are we having? I'm starved!" 

"Pika pi! (Me too!)" Pikachu agreed, rubbing his stomach. Julia laughed at the cute gesture. 

At that moment, a waitress came up to them. "Hello. I apologize for taking so long to get over to you. Can I take your orders," she asked. 

"Could you give us a couple of minutes," Misty asked. "Me and my friend just got here." 

"Certainly," the waitress replied. "Would you like anything to drink? 

"I'll have some water, and a saucer of milk for my Togepi," Misty said. 

"I'll have an apple juice," Ash said. Pikachu tugged on his sleeve, indicating that he wanted juice. "Make that two apple juices, please," Ash corrected. 

"I'd like a carton of orange juice," Brock said. 

"And I'll have a large coffee," Julia said. She noticed that there were packets of sugar on the table, but no creamer. "Could you also bring some creamer," she asked. 

"Ok," the waitress said. She checked over the list. "I've got water, milk, two apple juices, orange juice, and coffee with creamer. Is that correct?" When everyone nodded, she said, "Ok, I'll take your orders when I return with your drinks." 

"After we order our food," Brock began, "I think that we should go and purchase our tickets for the carnival tonight." 

"That sounds good," Julia agreed. "Then after that we could go to a matinee. It's still too early to head towards the carnival." 

"Ok, I'm game for that," Ash added. 

"Ditto," Misty said. 

From behind the four friends, Jesse spoke to James. "Did you hear that?" 

"Yes, I'm not deaf," he replied a little too loudly. Julia glanced over at them, and James quickly lowered his head. "We need to be quieter than this," he hissed. Jesse arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more. 

Julia frowned. The two people in the booth seemed familiar to her, but she concluded that it was only coincidental. She turned her attention back to the menu in her hands, but her mind kept drifting back to the previous night. However, before she could think of anything, the waitress returned with their drinks. After she gave everyone their drink, she waited to take their orders. "Are you ready to order," she asked. 

Brock looked over at his friends, and then nodded his head. "Yes, we are. I'll have the biscuit and gravy platter," he said. 

"Ok, and you, sir," she asked Ash. 

"I'll have the waffle and bacon platter," he stated. "And the potato platter with lots of ketchup for Pikachu." 

"Uh huh. And you," she said to Misty. 

"Yes, um, I'll have two orders of French toast sticks," Misty replied. 

"Alright. And you, miss," she asked Julia. 

"I'll have the fruit salad and a plain bagel with cream cheese on the side," she said. After the waitress confirmed their orders and left to get their food, everyone grew silent again. 

"So," Misty began, breaking the awkward silence, "what movie are we going to see?" 

"Hey, I've got a better idea," Ash said. "Maybe instead of spending more money, we should train our pokemon all afternoon." 

"That's no good, Ash," Misty said. "Who wants to spend a mini-vacation training pokemon? No offense, Pikachu," she quickly added, noticing the scowl on Pikachu's face. 

"Actually, that's a good idea," Brock said. 

"True," Julia added. "Our pokemon haven't been out of their pokeballs for almost twenty-four hours." 

"Well, alright," Misty agreed, after a little convincing from her friends. "But we at least need to be near some water. That way if we get hot, we'll have water to cool us off." 

The friends continued talking about the day's plans for several more minutes. Finally, their food came, and they ate quickly. When they were finished, they paid their bill and left. As soon as they were out of the restaurant's door, Jesse and James followed. 

After an afternoon of pokemon training, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Julia left to enjoy a night at the carnival. All the while, Team Rocket had followed them, careful to stay out of sight. At the carnival, the four friends rode every ride that was there. During the last fifteen minutes that the carnival grounds would be open, Ash and Brock played several different carnival games and won some stuffed animals for Misty and Julia. After that, they left the carnival and walked around the city before returning to their hotel. 

An hour after they got back to the hotel, Julia laid in her bed. As she listened to Misty's light snoring, she found it hard to fall asleep. However, this wasn't because of Misty's snoring. The reason Julia couldn't sleep was because she was thinking about Brock. Sitting up, she smiled and picked up one of the stuffed animals that Brock had won for her and hugged it. A strange sense of tranquility washed over her, and sleep began to make her mind hazy. Placing the stuffed animal back with the others, Julia laid back down. She put her hands underneath her pillow to support her head, and something sharp pricked her finger. She sat up quickly and lifted up her pillow; underneath was a single, red rose. Suddenly, everything that had happened the night before flooded into her memory. 

~ Flashback ~ 

"What do you want with me? What did I do," Julia demanded of her captor. 

"What do I want," he asked. "It's quite simple. I will reveal to you who I am, and maybe then you'll relax a bit." He took off his mask and shook out his hair. "Voila!" 

Julia's eyes grew big when she saw the man in front of her. "James!" 

James smiled. "The one and only. My, my, my. Don't we look stunning," he asked, observing her outfit. 

"James," Julia growled. She walked up to him and slapped his across the face really hard. "You scared the hell out of me." 

He rubbed his face where she had hit him. "Geez, Jesse. Why did you do that," he whined. "That hurt!" 

"Don't call me that," she screamed, "or you'll blow my cover like you almost did earlier today!" She smacked him again. 

"It doesn't matter whether or not I call you Jesse," he replied. "We're in the middle of the forest." 

"It does matter, James," she said, rubbing her temple. "Anyway, you did almost ruin my cover earlier, when you, Meowth, and 'Jesse' showed up." She paused. "Where in the world did you get a look alike anyway?" 

"There will be time for an explanation later," James said. "First of all, how is the status of the mission? Is that boy head over heels for you yet?" 

"I know I'm beautiful," Jesse replied, "but not even I can work that fast! However I must admit that I had him practically eating out of my hands earlier." She laughed her patented laugh. "Well, he'll fall for me soon enough. It may take a little more time, though. Now, about my clone." 

"Alright, alright," James replied. "Oh 'Jesse,'" he called out. "Come here." A figure got out of the van and came over to James and stopped. "She's a beauty, isn't she," he asked his partner. "Ditto, transform." To Jesse's amazement, her clone began to glow and shrink. Within seconds, a tiny Ditto stood in the place where the clone stood before. 

"Th-that's amazing! When . . . how . . ." she stammered. 

"Not only am I handsome, but I'm also a genius," James exclaimed. 

"Actually, after you left to find dat brat and his friends, da Boss gave us dis Ditto," Meowth cut in. 

"Shut your yap, Meowth," James hissed. "I admit it. This was the Boss' idea. He thought it would be perfect, since this Ditto can talk." 

"Just like Meowth," Meowth said. 

"I figured as much," Jesse smirked. 

"Ditto, transform back," James ordered the pokemon. As it had done before, Ditto transformed once again, and changed back into Jesse. 

"Well, I better head back before anyone notices that I'm missing," Jesse stated. Her face grew dark and she glared at James. "But it you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you!" 

James gulped and shook his head. "O-ok Jesse. Whenever I need to meet you, I'll leave a rose somewhere you can easily find it." He then tossed her a bottle of aspirin. 

"What's this for," she asked, confused. 

"For your headache," he answered. 

"But I don't have a . . ." Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. "Ouch." 

"Sorry Jesse," she heard James saying as she slipped into darkness. 

~ End Flashback ~ 

Jesse rubbed the back of her head. 'So that's why I couldn't remember anything. I must have blocked out what happened,' she thought. 'Damn you, James.' She quickly got out of bed and put some clothes on. She then tiptoed over to the door, and slipped out noiselessly. 

To Be Continued . . . 


	8. Picture Perfect

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the characters in this story. All other standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

ACO, Part 8: Picture Perfect 

RECAP: Not much to say, except that the second date for the two couples went really well. Not even Team Rocket interfered this time! However, something's amiss. It seems that Julia has been keeping a secret. She's really Team Rocket's Jesse . . . 

Julia bent down to tie her shoe as she rode down in an elevator to the ground floor of the Viridian City Hotel. 'That James is going to pay for knocking me out,' she thought to herself. She stood up and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. It was the note attached to the rose that James left for her to find. 'He's got a lot of guts to want to meet me again so soon,' she thought as she reread the note. 'And here, of all places.' As the elevator came to a stop and opened its doors, she stepped off and headed towards the restaurant. As she stood in the doorway and scanned the room she spotted her teammate almost immediately. She squared her shoulders and walked over to his table. "Hello James," she said as she sat down across from him. 

"Jesse, I'm glad you're here," he said. "Are you hungry?" 

"No, I'm not, James. Why did you want to meet me," she demanded. "And why here? If I'm caught with you, our plan is as good as dead." 

"Don't worry. We're in the darkest corner in the room in the middle of the night," he began. "There's no need for concern, Jesse." 

"Don't say that out loud James," she said in a strained voice. "If someone hears you . . ." 

"Who will hear me," he cut in. "The cook, who's in the kitchen? Or maybe that waitress over by the bar on the other side of the room." 

"That's not the point," she said weakly. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Well, is there something you wanted, or can I go back to bed now?" 

"Sure, you can go," he replied. "But I have a question. How long will it take for you to work your magic?" 

"You asked me the other night, James, and it's still no different. Give me a week, ok," she answered. "Is that all? You wanted to ask me the same dumb question?" 

"Well, one of us needs to report back to the Boss periodically. And you can't very well do that," James said. 

"But it's only been a couple of days! Not even the Boss would expect us to complete the mission that fast," she exclaimed. "Look, James. I'm really tired and need some sleep." She looked him in his eye and glared. "I didn't get much sleep last night." 

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I tucked you in nice and tight when I brought you up to your room," he replied with a smile. 

She stood up quickly and turned to leave. "Good night, James," she said icily before she stormed off. 

"You're cute when you're angry, Julia," he yelled after her. "I'll be in touch." 

The next morning, Ash, Misty, Brock and Julia stood in front of the hotel. They had just checked out, and were deciding where to go. Everyone wanted to go somewhere different to visit their families, but it was finally decided that they would head back to Pallet Town, since it was the closest. 

"Cool," Ash exclaimed. "I get to see my mom!" He took hold of Misty's hand and gave it a squeeze. "And I can also tell her that we're a couple." 

"Maybe we should take a bus to Pallet and then back here again," Julia suggested. "Then we could walk to Pewter to visit Brock's family. And then to Cerulean, if you don't mind going back last, Misty." 

"Actually, I don't really want to go back there to visit my sisters just yet," Misty replied. 'It might cause some trouble in between you and Brock,' she thought to herself. She shuddered as she remembered how Brock had acted around her sisters before. "They probably wouldn't have time to visit with us anyway, since they have to run both the gym and the shows." 

"Well, alright then," Julia replied. "But only if you're sure." 

"I'm sure," she said firmly. 

"Ok, then off to Pallet we go," Brock said. "The bus would be the fastest way to get to there. That way we'll have a full day to visit." 

"And my mom won't mind that we all stay at my house," Ash put in. 

The four walked over to the bus terminal to buy their tickets. Luck was on their side because as it turned out, on that particular day, there was a group special for round-trip tickets. The bus ride to Pallet didn't take too long. When they arrived in Pallet and went to Ash's house, his mom was glad to see him and his friends, as was expected. Brock used the phone while Ash told his mom about him and Misty. Meanwhile, Julia and Pikachu were sitting on the porch, enjoying each other's company. 

'It's amazing how much Pikachu trusts me,' she thought. 'If he knew who I really was, I would be thundershocked in an instant!' She reached over and scratched Pikachu in between his ears. "Do you trust me Pikachu," she asked the pokemon. In response, he jumped into her lap and curled up into a ball. "I'll take that as a yes," she laughed. 'Well, as long as he trusts me, I'll be able to take him off by myself easily,' she thought to herself. Her stomach began to hurt, but she quickly pushed the feeling aside. 'Well, I can't start to feel guilty now. I'm in too deep,' she thought sadly. 

"Pikachu, pika? (What's wrong?)," Pikachu asked. Julia smiled down at the tiny pokemon since she didn't understand him. 

"He asked you what was wrong," Ash said suddenly from behind Julia, causing her to jump. 

"Oh Ash! You scared me. Nothing is wrong, Pikachu," she answered. "Nothing at all." 

"Are you sure," Ash asked. "You look like something is on your mind. If you don't feel comfortable talking to me, you can talk to my mom, or maybe Misty." 

"It's nothing like that, Ash," she reassured him. The feeling in her stomach grew to a dull pain. She took in a deep breath. "I think I just need some rest or something. I'm fine, really." 

"Well, ok," he said carefully. "Why don't you come inside then? Come on Pikachu." 

Julia watched as Pikachu followed his trainer. She smiled at the bond that seemed to exist between the two, and thought about her Arbok. 'It's too bad I had to leave him behind,' she thought as she stood up to follow Ash into the house. She followed him into the kitchen, where everyone was gathered, and stood at the door. Ash went by his mom to see if she needed help preparing lunch while Brock brushed Vulpix and Misty fed Togepi some applesauce. 'Just look at all of them,' she thought. 'I feel bad for what I'm doing, but why?' 

Brock looked up from his Vulpix and glanced at Julia. "Jules, what's wrong," he asked with concern. 

"Why are you standing by the door like an outcast," Misty asked. "Come on in and sit down," she said, patting the chair next to her. Julia walked over and sat down. "Now that wasn't too hard, huh?" 

"No, it wasn't," Julia answered. "Can I help you with anything, Mrs. Ketchum," she asked. 

"No, dear. You just sit there and relax," she said, turning around to look at Ash's new friend. "You look so drained! Ash, be a doll and fix her some herbal tea please." 

"Ok, Mom," he said. Five minutes later, he handed Julia her tea. "Here you go." 

"Thanks Ash," she replied. She sat in awe as she realized how well she fit in the group. As she sipped her tea, her anxieties began to wash away. 

The rest of the day pretty much went the same way as the kitchen scene. The four ended up staying in Pallet for an extra day before they headed back to Viridian. The bus ride back was pretty quiet, since it was such a short ride. While Ash, Brock, and Misty talked, Julia kept to herself. The same sick feeling returned to her stomach, and overall, she wasn't feeling good. 'What is wrong with me,' she asked herself. 'It couldn't be guilt. I have nothing to feel guilty about!' However, she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself of this. 

"Jules, I know what's wrong," Brock said, breaking into her thoughts. 

"Oh really," she said. "And what's that?" 

"We haven't had very much time for each other," he continued. He gently touched her face before continuing. "But that's all going to change. I've got a surprise for you." 

"Really? What is it," she asked. 

"If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise," he answered. She was about to say something, but he kissed her to quiet any comment she was about to make. "It will be something you'll like, Jules. I promise." 

Ten minutes later, the bus pulled into the Viridian Bus Terminal. The four got off and walked around the city. They decided to get some lunch, and then get some supplies before they left the city to head towards Pewter. They found a little sidewalk café where they could eat. They were going to go inside of the restaurant, but decided to sit outside instead, since it was a sunny day. Also, the café was in a convenient location because every type of shop that one could think of surrounded the area. As they sat down at one of the tables, Brock excused himself, saying he had a quick errand to run. 

Ash, Misty, and Julia looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "So, how are we going to get to Pewter," Ash asked as Brock disappeared into the bustle of people. 

"Well, as I suggested earlier, I think that we should walk," Julia began. 

"But that will mean we'll get lost," Misty said. 

Julia had a confused look on her face. "Why would we get lost," she asked. 

"Well, because Ash doesn't have a good sense of direction," she explained. "He always gets us lost somehow. It never fails." 

"Misty, that's a lie," Ash said. "I don't get us lost! We get . . ." 

"I know, I know," Misty cut in. "You don't get us lost, we get sidetracked. You never cease to amaze me, Ash Ketchum." 

"Stop your fighting," Julia said in an annoyed voice. "What I mean is, you two shouldn't fight over something so silly," she said quickly, hoping they didn't hear they mean tone that she allowed to creep into her voice. "I just thought that it would be a good idea to walk so that Ash could catch new pokemon and train his pokemon on the way to Pewter. Had I known it would cause a fight, I wouldn't have even suggested it." 

"We're sorry," they said in unison. "I guess you're not used to our fights like Brock is," Ash continued. "This is the first time we've had a fight in a couple of days." 

"I'm more used to it than you know, kid," Julia mumbled in a low voice. 

"What did you say Julia," Misty asked. 

"Oh, um, I just said that I'd hate for it to end up in a bad way," she said quickly. "You see, a couple of weeks before I decided to go on my journey, my boyfriend and I broke up. We were going to train together, but we got into so many fights that we just ended the relationship and stayed as friends. It's really a tough thing to go through, and I don't want the same thing to happen to the two of you." She sighed inwardly as the two seemed to buy her story. 'Good,' she thought. 'I guess the same story I told Brock will work on them as well.' 

Just then, Brock returned from his errand. "Why is everyone so gloomy," he asked, taking a seat next to Julia. "I wasn't gone for that long. It's good to know that you all care so much!" 

"Give us a break," Ash, Misty, and Julia said at the same time. They started laughing, and Brock joined in their laughter. A waiter came up to their table and took their orders. Once he left, they began to talk again. 

"Just look at her Meowth," James said. He and Meowth were sitting inside of the restaurant, looking out at Julia from a window facing the sidewalk café. "If I was a stranger looking at them, I would think that they were really good friends." 

"It almost breaks your heart," Meowth replied sarcastically. "It's a good thing she's a good actress. Only she could pull dat off!" 

"Yes, but I hope she hurries and completes the mission," James said. "I'm beginning to miss her snide remarks. And this Ditto just isn't working." He looked down at the pokeball in his hands, which contained the pokemon. 'No, you're not working at all,' he thought to himself. 

"She's getting up, James," Meowth said. "And she's coming in here." 

"Good, I can tell her we'll trail them," he replied. "Julia," he called out as she walked into the restaurant. She looked around the room for the person that said her name, and spotted James. She looked behind her to make sure that she wasn't being watched, and then made her way towards James. 

"What are you doing here," she whispered so as not to draw any attention to them. 

"We've been following you since the beginning of the mission," James replied. "Don't act like you don't know how Team Rocket works." 

"I know how we work, James," she said. "You're just taking a lot of risks to talk to me." 

"I live for the danger," he said nonchalantly. "You're doing a great job, I just thought I'd let you know." 

"We're going to Pewter. Once we stop for the night and they fall asleep, I'll come and find you," she said, dismissing his compliment. She turned and went back to join Ash and his friends. 

James watched as Julia left. "Let's go, Meowth," he said as he stood. "We better sneak out the back so that they don't see us." 

Later that night, the four friends stopped for the night, and camped out in the Viridian Forest. It was almost the same spot where Brock and Julia first met. They had long since left the café, and had walked through the forest all day. Ash stopped a few times along the way to battle wild pokemon, and even caught a few new ones. 

Brock finished making them dinner, and they all sat down to eat. Since he didn't have access to a kitchen or many supplies, he fixed rice balls and. However, he didn't eat much. He watched Julia, and smiled at her whenever she looked up at him. Once she was done, he grabbed her hand. "Let's go for a walk," he said. 

"Ok," she said. "We'll be back you two," she told Ash and Misty. 

Brock and Julia walked in silence for several minutes. After they were a distance from the campsite, they stopped and faced each other. In the spot where they stood, the moonlight shone down brightly. "You remember that I said I had a surprise for you, right Julia," he asked. 

"Yeah, I remember," she replied. "Do I get my surprise now." 

He nodded, and pulled a tiny box from his pocket. As she took the box from him, he said, "This is your surprise. Go ahead and open it." 

"Brock, I-I can't," she said. She looked up into his face and had tears in her eyes. 

"Julia, please. Open the box," he pleaded. 

She took a deep breath because the same sick feeling returned to her stomach. She opened the velvet box, and inside was a gold ring. She burst into tears, and couldn't speak. 

"Julia," Brock said softly, "you're the first girl that I have felt anything towards. I see you as more than a girl with a beautiful face. I can see past all that, and see what a wonderful person you are. I want you to have this commitment ring. Will you accept it?" 

"Brock . . . I . . . you . . ." she choked out. She couldn't find the right words to say. 

"There's an inscription on the ring," he said. "It reads: To J. Love, Brock. There wasn't much room for anything to be written or else I would have had it written there." 

Julia took the ring from the box and felt the inside of the ring. Sure enough, it felt like something was written. "Brock, I just don't want to hurt you," she said sadly. 

"You'll only hurt me if you don't accept the ring, Jules," he replied. He took the ring from her and slipped it onto her left hand. "It's not an engagement ring, but wearing it on this hand will signify that you're already taken. I love you, Julia." 

"I love you too, Brock," she replied without any hesitation. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She looked at her hand and smiled. "Brock, when did you have time to get this," she asked. 

"Well, I ordered it when we first got to Pallet. That's what the phone call was for. And then when we stopped for lunch, that's when I went to get it," he answered. 

'God,' she thought to herself as they walked back to the campsite hand in hand. 'I truly am in too deep. I really do love him.' When they got back, Ash and Misty were already asleep. 

"They must have been tired," Brock commented. "We weren't gone that long." 

"Yeah," Julia said. "I'm a little tired, too." 

"I guess I am, too. I didn't realize it," Brock replied as he unrolled his sleeping bag. 

"You go ahead and go to bed, and I'm going to go change," she said. She grabbed her bag and left. By the time she came back, Brock was already asleep. She walked over to him and shook his shoulder to check if he would stir. When he didn't, she left to meet James. 

'I hope I did the right thing,' Julia thought as she stood in front of James. She looked down at her hand, and fresh tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. 'It's going to hurt him more when he finds out the truth. He'll never forgive me.' 

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying," James asked, breaking into her thoughts. He studied her face and arched an eyebrow. "Jesse, are you crying?" 

"No, I'm not crying," she said. "I've got allergies. You picked a fine place for me to meet you," she said, looking at the surroundings. "I'm allergic to dandelions," she quickly lied, picking the first thing that may cause allergies. 

"Well, if you say so. We need to get that boy, Brock, to bring Pikachu to you," James said. "Then I will show up, and we'll snatch the pokemon and be done with it." 

"That's a terrible idea. He'll be a little suspicious if I ask him to meet me somewhere and bring Pikachu," she said. 

"Do you have a better plan," he asked. 

"Yeah, I do," she shot back. "Pikachu trusts me. I don't know the reasons why, but he does. I'll go off on a walk or something and ask if he wants to go." 

"And you think he'll go," James asked. 

"I don't see why he wouldn't," she answered. 

"Well, fine. But I still think my idea is a good one," James replied. "Why are you against my plan? You're not falling for him are you?" 

"Of course not," she yelled. "And how dare you suggest such a thing! It couldn't be further from the truth." 

"That remains to be seen," James said. "I know that look, Jesse." With that, he turned and left her staring after him. 

To Be Continued . . . 


	9. Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic. All other standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy! 

ACO, Part 9: Betrayal 

RECAP: There has certainly been a change of events. Not only is Julia really Jesse, but she has also confessed her love to Brock! And now, she must go through the plan that she and James cooked up in order to capture Pikachu . . . 

The following few days after Julia met up with James went by in a blur. Every time she would try to get Pikachu, her conscience would not allow her to go through with the plan, and her heart ached at the thought of betraying her beloved Brock. She volunteered to lead the group through the forest. This gave her a little extra time to think of different ways to get Pikachu alone. And since she was a member of Team Rocket, she had the forest memorized and knew certain paths and detours to take, which made them backtrack to Viridian. 

"Shouldn't we already be in Pewter by now," Brock asked. 

"Yeah, I think so," Ash answered. "Julia, are we lost or something? I know it takes a while to get to Pewter from Viridian when walking, but it shouldn't take this long. Especially at the pace we're going." 

"For once, Ash didn't get us lost," Misty added. "No offense, Julia, but this is worse than any time he got us lost." 

"Look, we're not lost," she snapped. She looked around and sat down on a log to think. "Trust me, I know exactly what I'm doing. It's close to noon, so let's just stop here and get our bearings together. I can't think with this headache that I've got." 

"Your headache is about to get a lot worse," said an unmistakable voice. 

"Oh no," everyone whined. "Not Team Rocket!" 

"Oh yes, Team Rocket," Jesse interjected. 

"Prepare for trouble!" 

"And make that . . ." 

"Will you two give it up already," Julia yelled, interrupting James. "We don't have time for you right now James, and especially not you, Jesse. Why didn't you just stay away?" 

"You better make time for Team Rocket," Meowth said. 

"Yes, because a beautiful woman should always make room for a handsome prince," James said, handing Julia a rose with a wink. 

This only made Brock mad. "I'll show you handsome prince, James," he screamed. He threw a pokeball to the ground. "Go Onix! Use rock throw to get rid of these pests." In one fluid motion, Onix wrapped himself around Team Rocket and tossed them into the air. "Looks like Team Rocket is being tossed off again," the trio screamed. 

Julia stared at the rose in her hand and threw it to the ground in disgust. 'So much for stalling for more time,' she thought as tears began to form in her eyes. 'I don't know how much longer I can do this.' She closed her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. She looked up from where she was sitting when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Julia, don't cry," Brock said. "I know you can't stand Jesse, but you shouldn't let her make you feel this way." 

"What? You're friends with Jesse," Ash asked Julia. 

Julia shook her head. "No, of course not. We used to know each other a very long time ago," she said. "But I'll tell you one thing. Jesse is a weak person who has no morals and can't make the right decisions." She stood up and began to walk away. 

"Where are you going," Brock asked with concern. 

"I just need to think . . .alone," she answered without turning around. "Don't worry, I'll be ok, and I'll be right back." She began to walk swiftly in the direction that Team Rocket had flown off in. Luckily, Onix did not throw them very far because she was able to find them in fifteen minutes. She walked over to James and pushed his with all her strength. This caused him to trip over Meowth, and fall to the ground. "James, what was the idea of what you pulled back there," she asked him angrily. 

"I just wanted to get your attention. I haven't been able to get in touch with you," he said. "And I know how you don't want to blow your cover, so me and Meowth thought it would be a good idea to make a appearance." 

"It looks like it worked," Meowth added. 

"Well, I have had enough of all of this! I'll bring Pikachu tonight. Regardless if I can or can not get away from the others," she said. "We will have Pikachu tonight." She turned and ran back in the direction of Ash, Misty, and Brock. When they came into sight, she noticed they were all sitting around talking, and she slowed to a walk. Right away, she could tell something was wrong with Brock. "Brocky, what's wrong," she asked, running up to him. 

"Nothing, now," he said. "You were just so upset and angry and it scared me, I guess. Don't run off like that anymore." Julia knelt down next to Brock and hugged him, but didn't say anything. 'I wish I didn't have to run away, Brock,' she thought to herself. "I'm glad you're back, Jules," he continued. "Please, tell me what's wrong?" 

"Everything will be fine," she said. "Come here, Pikachu." The electric-mouse pokemon jumped up in her lap and she gave him a hug. "I'm fine. It's just a shock to see Jesse face to face." 

As late afternoon approached, the four friends sat to talk and eat a late snack. Julia sat and listened while the three argued over a map of the Viridian Forest. They were still trying to figure out where they were. She looked down at Pikachu, who was asleep in her lap. Silently, Julia stood up and slipped into the shadows of the trees. 

Misty looked up and saw that Julia was no longer there. "Hey you guys, where did Julia go?" 

Brock and Ash looked up from their map. "I don't know," Brock replied. 

"I'll be right back, then," Misty said. "I'm going to go and look for her." 

As Julia walked along, Pikachu began to stir. "Pika? Pikachu (What? Where am I)." 

"Oh, you're awake Pikachu," Julia said. "Go back to sleep, I just needed to get up and stretch my legs." She sighed when he seemed to believe her story and closed his eyes again. 

"Julia, wait up," Misty yelled after the girl. 

"Oh great," she muttered. "Why did you have to be so nosey, Misty?" She quickened her pace again hoping that Team Rocket would show up soon. 

"Julia," she called out again. Julia finally stopped and turned to wait for the girl. "Why didn't you stop when I called you?" 

"Sorry, I didn't hear you," Julie lied. "Um, is something the matter? Is anything wrong?" 

"No, I was just checking to see if you were alright. But I guess you are, since I found you," she explained. "I'll walk back with you." 

"No, that's ok," she blurted out. "I'll be ok. Go ahead and go back without me. I'll be there shortly." 

"Or not at all," James said from behind the two girls. 

"James," Misty exclaimed as she spun around. "What are you doing here? Didn't Brock teach you a lesson earlier?" 

"You could say that, but it always helps to have your partner by your side," he replied. 

"Speaking of partners, where's Jesse? Don't you two idiots usually work as a team," Misty asked. 

"She's closer than you think," he said. "You and your brain-dead friends are so dense, that you didn't even see through her disguise." James paused and looked at Julia. "Isn't that right?" 

Misty looked from Julia, to James, and then back to Julia. "What is he talking about, Jules," Misty asked. However Julia did not say anything. "ANSWER ME," she screamed. 

James threw out a pokeball. "Go Ditto," he exclaimed. "Transform." As before, the tiny pink pokemon transformed into a clone of Jesse. Misty stared in shock. 

"Have it your way then, kid. We won't be the ones that will be hurt," Ditto said in Jesse's voice. It smiled as recognition crossed Misty's face. 

"Oh my God," Misty said, turning to her friend. "If that's a pokemon, and it turned into Jesse, then that must mean you're . . . Julia, how could you???" 

"It's double trouble time, guys," Meowth said. He took Pikachu from Jesse, and entrapped him in an electric-resistant bubble as the pokemon began to stir from sleep. 

"I agree," James said. "Take it away Jesse." 

"James, I can't. I won't," Jesse replied as she watched Meowth take Pikachu hostage. 

"Ditto, return," James said, pointing the pokeball towards the pokemon. "Jesse, I don't want to have to report your incompetence to the Boss. You know what would happen." 

Jesse swallowed her pride and squared her shoulders. "You're absolutely right, James." She turned to face Misty and pointed a finger at her. "Prepare for trouble." 

"And I suggest you make it double." 

"To protect the world from devastation." 

"To unite all peoples within our nation." 

"To denounce . . ." Jesse stopped. "To denounce . . ." 

"Jesse, what's your problem," Meowth scolded. "To denounce da evils of truth and love." 

"To extend our reach to the stars above," James continued. 

"Jesse." 

"James." 

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light." 

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight." 

"Meowth, dats right!" 

"You're damn right I'm going to fight," Misty said angrily. "Starmie, go! I choose you." She tossed the pokeball to the ground, and the star-shaped pokemon came out. "Julia, no, Jesse. Give Pikachu back to me, and I'll make up some story to tell Brock and Ash. If you don't, prepare to lose!" 

James was about to say something, but Jesse raised her hand to silence him. "You may not think much of my now, but I'm good at what I do. I had everyone fooled, even myself. I couldn't give Pikachu back, even if I wanted to." 

Misty shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe we fell for your act, Jesse. How could you do this to Brock? Do his feelings even matter to you?" 

"Of course they do," she said softly. 

"Then give Pikachu back," Misty pleaded. "Be a friend, but most importantly, be the girl Brock fell in love with." 

Jesse shook her head and tossed a pokeball to the ground. "Go Jolteon." 

"Jesse, please, think of Brock," Misty said again. 

Jesse swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "Brock who," she asked with little emotion. She hardened her features before commanding her pokemon. "Jolteon, use pin missile." The pokemon obeyed and sent a shower of needles flying towards Starmie and hit him right on. 

Misty ran over to her pokemon to check if he was ok. "You're a fool, Jesse. You would throw away your new relationships just to capture Pikachu?" However, she did not answer Misty. "Fine," Misty said coldly. "Starmie, harden. Now, use tackle attack. 

"Jolteon, use your tackle attack," Jesse said. The pokemon flew at each other and, upon impact, were equally knocked backwards. 

"Starmie, use water gun." 

"Jolteon, agility." 

Starmie shot out several blasts of water at Jolteon, but the electric pokemon easily dodged them. Jolteon then tackled Starmie unexpectedly and sent the water pokemon crashing into a tree. Starmie visually writhed in pain as his jewel cracked. "Jolteon, let's finish this," Jesse said. "Thundershock now!" Jolteon gathered electricity and sent the attack flying towards Starmie. As the electricity wrapped around Starmie's body, his jewel shattered, and he fell to the ground defeated. 

"Heads up Jesse," James said as he tossed a pokeball to her. She caught it and threw it to the ground. Arbok emerged from the pokeball. 

"Arbok! I'm so glad to see you," Jesse said. "Wrap attack that brat." Before anyone could even blink, Arbok had Misty wrapped in his coils. "James, you and Meowth escape with Pikachu, and I'll catch up to you. I need to talk to Misty." She watched as he and Meowth left. She then turned her attention back to Misty. "I really do wish that you hadn't followed. All of this would have been unnecessary." 

"You would have just gotten away with all this had I not followed you," Misty shot back. Tears caused by the betrayal she felt rolled down Misty's cheeks. 

"If it means anything to you, I never meant to hurt anyone," Jesse began. "I just wanted to make my boss proud for once." She pulled out a rag and a bottle of chloroform. "I hate to have to do this, but we need a head start. I'm sure the three of you will try to come and find Pikachu." She poured some of the liquid onto the rag and placed it over Misty's nose and mouth. However, she couldn't put up much of a struggle because Arbok had her wrapped tightly. When her movements ceased, Jesse told Arbok to release the sleeping girl. At that moment, she heard voices. "Lets' go Arbok," Jesse said to her pokemon as she turned to run. She found a good hiding place as Brock and Ash came into view. 

"Where do you suppose they are," Brock asked. 

"Oh no, Misty," Ash yelled. He rushed over to her side and shook her gently. "Misty? Misty wake up." When she did not stir, Ash checked for a pulse and sighed in relief when he found one. He noticed Starmie slumped on the ground, and ran over to the injured pokemon. "What in the world happened," he asked as he rummaged through his bag for some pokemon supplies. 

"I don't know. Maybe Team Rocket . . . Oh no! Where's Julia," Brock asked. "JULIA," he yelled out loud, "WHERE ARE YOU?" The only answer was the echo of his voice in the trees. "Not only is Julia missing, but so is Pikachu," he told Ash. 

"Team Rocket must have the both of them," Ash concluded. "But why didn't they also take Misty?" 

"Well, they were always after Pikachu, and Julia did have some pretty good pokemon," Brock replied. "She had a Cloyster and a Rhyhorn. I don't know what other pokemon she may have had. That's probably why Team Rocket took her. If they took her . . ." 

"I guess that the only thing we can do is wait for Misty to wake up and tell us what happened," Ash said. He looked at his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't say that everything will work itself out. But this will be resolved in the best possible." 

Brock nodded in agreement, but said nothing. He sighed and looked at their surroundings. "I suppose this is a good place to camp," he said. "Let's collect some firewood and wait for Misty to wake up." 

To Be Continued . . . 


	10. Dawn's Light

Disclaimer: Well, I don't own the rights to any of these characters. All other standard disclaimers apply. 

ACO, Part 10: Dawn's Light 

RECAP: Julia/Jesse has shown her true colors! After a decisive battle with Misty, Team Rocket has finally captured Pikachu. Brock and Ash find an unconscious Misty, and wonder what happened . . . 

'Why did I allow this situation to get so out of control,' Jesse thought to herself. She, James, and Meowth were sitting in a secluded cabin deep in the Viridian Forest. The trio was hiding out there until the morning, when they would present Pikachu to their boss, Giovanni. 'James and Meowth look so happy. If only they knew what I was going through. I shouldn't let my mood ruin their celebration.' She sighed and once again turned her attention back to her companions. 

"Da Boss is going to be so happy," Meowth was saying. "Finally, I'm going to be top cat again! I can't wait for my moment of triumph tomorrow morning!" He stood up and headed towards the bedrooms. "If ya need me, I'll be in here asleep." Then, he was gone. 

"Jesse," James said after Meowth left the room, "what's the matter? I'd think that you'd be happy that we finally succeeded in capturing Pikachu." He frowned when she didn't say anything. "Jesse, did you hear what I said?" 

"Yes, James, I heard you. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine," she replied softly. "The Boss will be glad that we finally did something right. Maybe we'll even get that vacation we deserve and . . ." 

"Jesse, don't lie to me," James said, cutting her off. "I know you better than that. What's bothering you?" He paused to think for a couple of minutes. "It's that boy, Brock, isn't it," he asked, glancing down at the ring on her left hand. "I knew this was getting serious when I saw the ring that he gave you." 

Jesse blushed and hid her hand behind her back. "Yeah, I guess I do feel a little guilty for what I did to him. I'm not heartless," she replied. "I mean, he did love me, after all." 

"And you loved him," James stated. He smirked at the shocked look Jesse gave him. He took note that she was visibly shaking all over. "And you probably still do love him, don't you?" 

"Oh James," Jesse cried, bursting into tears. It hurt him to see her cry, so James wrapped his arms around her and began to rock her back and forth. They sat together like that until her tears and sobs subsided. "Thank you," she said, pulling away from him. "I haven't cried this much since I was a baby. This past week and a half has been one horrible experience." 

"It's ok, Jesse," he assured her. "Now, tell me what you're thinking. What's on your mind." 

"I never wanted to hurt him, James. I never wanted to hurt any of them," she began in a choked voice. "I had to sit there and listen to Misty tell the story of how I had betrayed all of them." 

~ Flashback ~ 

"Misty, you're awake," Ash exclaimed. "You really had us worried." 

"Where's Starmie? Is he ok," she asked, sitting up quickly. 

"Starmie is fine," Ash replied. "I gave him a super potion. Once we get him to a Pokemon Center, he should be back to perfect health again." 

"Misty, what on earth happened," Brock asked. "Where's Julia and Pikachu?" Misty looked down at the ground, but didn't say anything. "Misty, why don't you answer my question," he demanded. "What happened?" 

"Well, Brock," Misty began, "before I tell you anything, I think it might be best that you sit down." 

"Damn it, don't sugarcoat it, Misty," Brock yelled. 

"Hey! Get a grip, man. Don't yell at Misty like that," Ash said, getting in Brock's face. 

"Back off, Ash," he replied, pushing his friend. "I love Julia. So don't you dare tell me to get a grip! My love for her is just as strong as your friendship with Pikachu, if not stronger." 

Ash balled up his fist, but Misty stepped between the two of them. "Stop it, both of you," she screamed. "You want the truth? Well I've got the truth for you, Brock," she began. "Julia fooled all of us. She's really Jesse, as in Team Rocket's Jesse. She tried to get away with Pikachu, and I caught her in the act. So we battled, and her Jolteon beat up Starmie. And then, to top that off, she drugged me so that she could escape." She stopped and took a deep breath. "She did that because she knew the two of you would stop to help me out." 

Brock stepped back from Misty as if she had punched him. "Y-you're lying," he stammered. "Julia is sweet and innocent and nothing at all like Jesse! She would never in a million years do what you're saying she did." 

"I'm afraid it's no lie," Misty replied sadly. "None of us knew Julia, or whatever her name is, that well. We didn't know what she was capable of." She placed a hand on Brock's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Brock, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way." 

He walked away from his friends and sat down on a stump, then lowered his head into his hands. "I should have known," he said. "Who in their right mind would love someone like me? I shouldn't have been so stupid and gullible. Why was I so blind?" A solitary tear rolled down his face, but he wiped it away angrily. "Our relationship took off and bloomed so suddenly. I should have seen the truth." 

~ End Flashback ~ 

"And I had to sit there and listen to them talk about me. Every single word of it," Jesse finished. She rested her head on James' shoulder. "The look of betrayal I saw on Brock's face is tearing me apart." 

"And none of them saw you," James asked. 

"No, because I was hiding behind some bushes," she replied with a sigh. 

"Tell me one thing," James said. "Why is this eating you up? It was just another mission, like any other. How is it any different?" 

"How is it different? Do you mean besides the fact that I fell in love with our target," she asked. "There are several reasons, I suppose. However, the main reason that this is getting to me is because Brock made me feel loved and appreciated, and I broke his heart. Only one other man has made me feel the way Brock has made me feel," she finished, looking up at James. 

"And he ended up breaking your heart. I really messed up when I did that," James said, brushing away a tear that trailed down Jesse's cheek. "I don't even remember why I let you go. That excuse we used about not being able to be both lovers and partners was lame. I'm so sorry for doing that to you." 

She smiled and shook her head sadly. "I didn't think that I'd ever be able to feel love like that again for anyone else besides you," she stated. "But then I got to know Brock. He's similar to you. Both of you are handsome, charming, and witty. Maybe that's why I fell so hard for him. I saw so much of you in him." 

"Oh, I knew you'd be able to fall in love again. You're too strong to let anything prevent you from achieving what you want," James replied. "To be honest, I was really jealous of your relationship with Brock. It brought back so many memories of us. And it drove me insane to think of what was going on between the two of you. That's why I pushed for you to hurry along the mission. I wanted us to be together again." He paused and stood to pace around the room. "But I don't want you to hurt inside. I think that in order for you to be at peace, you need to find a way to reconcile with Brock." 

"But how? He'll never forgive me for what I've done to him," Jesse replied. 

James chuckled and shook his head. "Well, take us, for example," he began. "We had a falling out, and now look at us. I betrayed you in the same way you feel you betrayed Brock, and we're friends even today." 

"All I can see is the look of betrayal in his face," she said. 

"Was there a look of betrayal in his eyes," James asked. Jesse looked at him in confusion. "You're not sure, are you? You won't know how he truly feels until you talk to him, Jesse, and look into his eyes." He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Jesse. You'll figure out something, and whatever you decide on will be the right thing for you to do." 

"Good night, and thanks for listening to me, James," she said as he left the room. "You always were a great listener." She walked over to the container that held Pikachu and watched the sleeping pokemon for what seemed like hours. She then walked over to the desk, which was in the room, and opened up one of the drawers. She pulled out a gold necklace, and then took the ring that Brock gave her off of her finger and slipped it onto the necklace. After she put the necklace around her neck, she took out a piece of paper and began to write. 

"Ash, do you think that Brock is going to be alright," Misty whispered. "I've never seen him like this before!" 

"I'm not sure, Misty," he replied. The two looked over at Brock. He was asleep, and had his back turned to them. "That Julia, or whatever she wants to call herself, makes me so mad. How can she just take another human being's feelings and just step all over them like that?" 

"I don't know. I hate to think of something like that ever happening to me," she said with a shudder. "Where do you think they took Pikachu anyway? I hope that he's alright." 

"As rotten as Jesse is, I don't think that she would allow anything to happen to Pikachu," Ash began. "She really grew fond of him." 

"What? Are you serious, Ash," Misty asked incredulously. "Team Rocket has been after Pikachu since the beginning of your journey. You can't be serious." 

"When it comes to the welfare of my pokemon, I never joke," Ash retorted. "And you know that, Misty." 

"Don't you condescend me, Ash Ketchum," Misty yelled. 

"You do it to me all the time! What's the difference," Ash demanded. 

"The difference is that whenever we fought before, we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, and your remarks didn't hurt as much," she replied in almost a whisper. 

"Oh Misty," he began, wrapping his arms around her, "I didn't . . ." 

"No, Ash, don't apologize," she said, cutting him off. "I care about Pikachu just as much as you do, but do you really believe that Jesse won't hurt him?" 

"I do, Misty," he answered. "Pikachu trusted her too much for me to believe otherwise." 

"Ok, Ash," she began. "I won't give you a hard time anymore. The most important thing is that we find Pikachu." 

"Yeah, and we will find him," Ash replied. The two sat beside the fire, and continued to talk into the night. 

~ Back at the Team Rocket cabin ~ 

Jesse reread the letter that she wrote. 'Well, this is what I have to do,' she thought to herself. 'It's the right thing to do.' She had sat at the desk for hours, and when she looked out the window, the sky was purple. 'I must have stayed up all night writing this thing. It's almost sunrise.' She walked over to Pikachu's container and picked it up. "Well, buddy," she whispered to the pokemon, "it's time to take you back where you belong." She walked out the door and closed it silently behind her. As she walked through the forest, she continued to talk to Pikachu. "I hope you don't hate me, Pikachu. I know you trusted me, and I'm so sorry for doing this to you and your friends. I never really had the heart to capture you in the first place. James and I think it would be easier to just capture a wild Pikachu, but Meowth insists that we capture you, instead. You must really be special. But I knew that already." 

"Jesse," a voice came from behind her. She spun around and saw her partner. "Jesse, wait for me," James said. 

"James, don't try to stop me," she began. 

"No, I'm not going to try to stop you. I'm here simply to support you. I'm hurt, Jess. What was the last thing I said to you," James asked. 

Jesse smiled a little. "You told me to do whatever I thought was the right thing," she said. 

"That's exactly what I told you," he said. "I'm just along for the ride, I guess." 

She smiled her thanks at James. "Well, this is as good a place as any to let you go," she told Pikachu, holding the container at arms length. "But when I let you out of there, please don't shock me." She set Pikachu down on the ground, unclasped the hooks on the container, and pulled the lid off. Pikachu ran several inches away from Jesse and James, and stood facing them with his cheeks crackling with electricity. He studied them, and then relaxed a bit and just stood in front of the duo. "Pikachu, I want you to go back," Jesse said in relief. "Go find Ash and his friends." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. She then unclasped the necklace around her neck and placed it into the envelope and sealed it. "Pikachu, would you give this to Brock for me," she asked the pokemon. "I would really appreciate it." She crouched down and extended the envelope towards him. 

"Chu (Ok)," Pikachu agreed, stepping carefully towards Jesse and the envelope. Pikachu took the envelope, and held it by one of the ends in his mouth. 

"Thank you, Pikachu," Jesse said gratefully. "Now go. Go back to where you belong." She watched as Pikachu ran away from her. She smiled a bit, and turned back to James. "Well, I think we should get back to the cabin," she told him. 

"Yes, Meowth won't be too happy when he discovers Pikachu missing," he replied. He draped an arm around Jesse's shoulder, and she wrapped one of her arms around his waist. "You did the right thing, Jess," he told her as they began walking back towards the cabin. "Now all we have to do is think of something to tell Meowth and the Boss." 

"But James," she began. "The Boss will . . ." 

"We're in this together, Jesse," he interrupted. "You won't face the consequences without me." 

"Wake up everyone," Ash said as the sun began to rise. "We've got to go find . . ." 

"PIKACHU (ASH)," came a faint yell. 

"Pikachu," Ash said, looking around frantically. "Pikachu, where are you?" He looked around and spotted his pokemon running towards him. He took off running towards him. When Ash reached his pokemon, he opened his arms, and Pikachu jumped into them. "Pikachu, I was so worried," he exclaimed. "Are you ok?" Pikachu nodded his head in response. "What's this," Ash asked as he took the envelope from Pikachu's mouth. 

"Pika pikachu. Pikachu, chu (It's for Brock. Jesse asked me to give it to him)," he said. Just then, Misty and Brock joined Ash. 

"This is for you, Brock," Ash said, extending the envelope towards the other boy. "Pikachu," he said, turning his attention back towards his pokemon, "tell us what happened." 

To Be Concluded . . . 


	11. A New Beginning

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story. All other standard disclaimers apply. 

ACO, Part 11: A New Beginning 

Author's Note: Ok, I'm finally done . . . well, almost done. Thanks for reading my fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Alright, then, on to the story! 

'Ah, this is the life,' Jesse thought as she sat tanning in the sun. She looked over at James and rolled her eyes. 'How can he be sleep on a beautiful day like this,' she wondered. She shook him to try to wake him up, but he didn't budge. She sat back and began to think. Several weeks had passed since the events of the Viridian Forest. Jesse, James, and Meowth reported to their Boss and, as usual, they had nothing to offer him. To their surprise, however, Giovanni took their news lightly. Not only that, he also sent them on a vacation. He said that he needed a break from the stresses of his "daily activities," and that if he needed them for any missions, that he would contact them. Jesse, for one, was happy for the break, and she and James left almost immediately. Meowth had decided to stay behind to do a little kissing up to Giovanni. "That cat will never learn," she mused out loud. 

A shadow suddenly appeared over Jesse, blocking the sun. She looked up to see who, or what, had cast the shadow. "Excuse me, Miss Jesse," a man in a tuxedo said. "You have a telephone call." He handed her a portable phone and turned to leave. 

"Yes," she said lazily into the receiver. 

"My, Jesse, you sure are sounding relaxed," a male voice said from the other end. "I trust your vacation was a good one." 

"Y-yes sir, Giovanni sir," she said, sitting up quickly in her chair. 

"It's good to know you still recognize my voice," Giovanni said sarcastically. "As you know, the Pokemon League Competition is coming up. It will be the perfect time for you to capture rare pokemon. I'm sending Meowth to the Indigo Plateau, and I expect for you and James to meet him there." With that, he hung up the phone. 

"James," Jesse said, tossing the phone onto the table between their chairs. "It's time to go." He opened an eye and looked at her. 

"So soon, Jesse," he asked her. 

"Unfortunately," she replied with a sigh. "That was the Boss. We've got to meet Meowth at the Indigo Plateau." 

"I can't believe that the Pokemon League Competition is only a few days away," Ash said to Misty. The two were sitting together on the front porch of Ash's house. "I hope all that training paid off." 

"I'm sure it has, Ash," she replied, settling back against him. "You're the best trainer there is." She smiled up at him and kissed him. Not much had changed between them over the weeks that they were a couple. Although they still had their daily fights, their relationship continued to grow and blossom. 

"Do you think that Team Rocket will show up and ruin it," he asked. 

"Now why would they do that," she replied. "It's stupid to even think that." 

"Stupid," he asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, but it's not stupid to think Team Rocket would show up. You said yourself a couple of weeks ago that Team Rocket was constantly after Pikachu. There are going to be several different types of rare pokemon that even I do not own at that competition. Surely Team Rocket will strike." He stood up angrily, and Misty fell forward. 

"Honestly, Ash! You take everything to the extreme," Misty said, picking herself off the ground. "When was the last time we saw them?" 

"That's not the point, Misty," he said coldly. They stood there glaring at each other. 

Misty slumped back down onto the porch steps. 'Maybe stupid wasn't the right choice of words,' she thought. She crossed her arms stubbornly. "Well, maybe you shouldn't be so sensitive, Ash Ketchum," she said out loud. "You knew what I meant." 

"I really don't understand you sometimes, Misty," Ash said. "You always tell me that I should be a more serious trainer, and now that I am, you still act as if I don't know what I'm doing." He turned and went inside of the house and slammed the door behind him. 

Meanwhile, Brock was sitting in one of spare bedrooms at the Ketchum residence. He sighed and tossed aside the letter that Pikachu gave to him from Jesse. 'I must have read that letter a million times,' he thought as he traced his finger across the necklace around his neck. His hand rested at the end of the necklace, where the tiny gold ring laid. Although he had gotten over the whole Jesse incident, he kept the necklace and ring as close to his heart as possible, so that he would never forget his first love. Brock sighed again, and picked up the letter as he sat down on the bed to read it again. 

Dear Brock, Nothing I say, or will ever say, can erase the hurt and betrayal that I know you're feeling. I know you probably will never again believe anything I say to you, but I beg you to read this. If you don't, I'll understand. I wouldn't be surprised if you tear this letter up as soon as you get it. I just want to let you know that I do love you with all my heart. I never meant to hurt you or your friends. If anything I said to you over that week was true, it was that I love you. I have a lot of nerve to say those three words, which hold so much meaning to the heart . . . That's why I can't keep this ring. Please accept it back with understanding in your heart. Take care of yourself, Brock. And find a woman that can be both loving and truthful with you. Love always and forever, Jesse 

"Well, Jesse," he said out loud. "I do believe you, and I forgive you." He jumped when he heard a door slam. He stood up and walked out of his room, to the room across from his. 'Ash and Misty must have had another fight,' he thought to himself as he knocked on Ash's door, and waited for his friend to open it. 'Looks like its back to the good old days. They'll probably make up before dinner,' he thought with a smile. 

The following morning, Ash, Misty, and Brock boarded a bus, which would take them to Pewter City. From Pewter, they would walk to the Indigo Plateau, where the Pokemon League Competition was being held. The bus ride to Pewter was a long one. They reached the city mid-morning the next day. After visiting Brock's family and eating breakfast, the trio dropped off their pokemon at the Pokemon Center, and then went to buy more supplies for the road. By the time they went back to pick up their pokemon, it was near noon, so they stopped for lunch. 

"So Ash," Brock began, "are we going to stay here overnight and take the bus to the Indigo Plateau, or are we going to walk and camp out?" 

"We should go ahead and walk, so that I can get in a little more training before the competition," he replied. "Besides, something interesting might happen if we walk. I heard that the official torch for the Pokemon League Competition is somewhere in this area." 

"The official torch," Misty asked as she fed Togepi a tiny piece of hotdog, "isn't the flame for the torch supposedly from Moltres?" 

"Yeah, that's what I heard," Brock said. "Carrying the torch is one of the greatest honors for a pokemon trainer. And it would be really . . ." He stopped in mid-sentence and allowed his voice to trail off. 'No, it couldn't be,' he thought to himself. 'Was that . . .' 

"Brock, what's the matter," Ash asked, breaking into his thoughts. "What were you going to say?" 

"Um, I was just going to say it would be neat to carry the torch. Would you excuse me," he said hurriedly. As he stood to leave, Ash and Misty continued to talk about the torch. Brock headed towards the front of the restaurant, where some of the booths were located. As he had expected, he spotted a certain redhead. He smiled and slid into her booth. 'She's just as beautiful as the last time I saw her,' he thought to himself, although she had not looked up from the menu when he sat down. 

"Well it's about time, James," she said. "I was beginning to think that you . . ." The menu fell from her hands when she realized who sat across from her. 

"Has the cat caught your tongue," Brock asked Jesse. "I could have sworn I heard you talking a couple of seconds ago." 

"N-no . . . I . . . you," Jesse stammered. She took a deep breath and said, "Brock, what are you doing here?" 

"Well, this is where I grew up," he replied. "I should be the one asking you why you're here." 

She noticed the necklace hanging from his neck and lowered her gaze. "Me and James, we're just here to eat. And then we're getting out of here." She returned her gaze to Brock's face. "If I had known you were in town, I wouldn't have even come here." Jesse stood up and turned to leave, but Brock grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down into the booth. He released her wrist, but Jesse could still feel his touch. 

"Jul . . . Jesse, we need to talk," Brock began. 

She flinched when he said her name, but she clenched her jaw and said, "About what, Brock?" Brock raised an eyebrow up at her, but said nothing. Jesse sighed. "Ok, that was a dumb question. However, this is hardly the place or the time to discuss anything. James will be here any minute, and your friends will wonder where you are." Her answered seemed to satisfy him. 

"Ok," he replied as he stood up. "I know you and James will keep tabs on the three of us, so when you get the chance, find me. We'll talk." At that moment, Brock really wanted to take Jesse into his arms and assure her that everything would be ok. He shook the thoughts from his head. "And if you don't find me, I'll find you," he added before leaving. 

Brock returned to his own table and sat down. Ash and Misty had seen where Brock went. They smiled at each other, but didn't say anything. The trio quickly finished their lunches. After they double-checked that they had everything they needed, they left for the Indigo Plateau. 

Later that day, as the sky grew a reddish-orange color, Jesse and James were in their hot-air balloon, and were following Ash, Brock, and Misty. After Brock left Jesse's table to return to his own, James had shown up. Jesse told him that she had seen Ash and his friends, and said that they should follow them. 

"Jesse, are you ok," James asked. "You've hardly said a word since we left that restaurant." 

"Actually, I'm not ok," she replied. "I . . . talked to Brock. Well, he talked to me, to be more accurate. I had no idea that we were in the same place, and he saw me and came up to talk to me." 

"Well, what happened," he inquired. "Did you two finally have the conversation that you've been putting off?" 

Jesse wanted to glare at James, but smiled instead. "You think you know me so well, don't you," she asked in an amused tone. She laughed when he shook his head 'yes.' "No, we didn't really talk at all. In fact, that's one of the main reasons we're following them. He wants to meet me tonight in order to talk." 

"Well, that's good," James replied. "It's about time." After following the trio below them for several more minutes, Jesse and James landed their balloon so that they would not be spotted. "Looks like they've stopped for the night," James said. 

"James," Jesse began, "do you . . . I've got a plan, but I need your cooperation." 

"Ok, anything you want," he replied. He listened to her as she told him her plan, and a smile grew on his face. 

'I wonder if she'll show up,' Brock thought to himself as he, Ash, and Misty sat around the campfire the trio had built. 

Ash studied his friend, and could not contain his curiosity any longer. "Brock, why were you talking to Jesse earlier today," he blurted out. This seemed to bring Brock out of his trance. 

"Ash," Misty hissed, elbowing him in the side. "I thought that we agreed on not saying anything." 

"It's ok, Misty," Brock said. "Well, I told her that I wanted to talk to her. But it doesn't look like she'll show up." 

"I'm closer than you think," a voice said from trees. The trio looked around to see where the voice came from, and gasped when Jesse and James stepped into the light of the fire. 

"It's double trouble time . . . ouch," James exclaimed as Jesse hit him in the arm. "I mean, um, do you mind if we join you?" 

"Why should we trust you," Misty asked angrily. "If this is just another trick to get Pikachu . . ." 

"Look, I know you guys have reason not to trust us," Jesse said, cutting Misty off, "but do you honestly think we would try to get Pikachu this way?" 

"Jesse has a point," James added. "We have more style than that." 

"Go ahead and have a seat," Ash said. "Besides, I think we can put aside our differences for one night to be civil." 

So that's what the five pokemon trainers did, for it was the one thing all five had in common - their interest in pokemon. They sat and talked and got past the fact that one group of people was a group of infamous thieves, and that the other was a thorn in the side. Although they were as different as night and day, they found they had a lot in common. All five people had a dream to become something greater than what they already were. Over dinner, they learned that had the circumstances been different, they would have easily become friends. As the night wore on, Ash, Misty, and James fell asleep, and Brock and Julia were the only ones awake. They sat in awkward silence until finally, Jesse spoke up. 

"Brock, I really am sorry for what I did," she began. "I never meant to hurt you." 

"I know, Jesse. I read your letter," he replied. 

"You did," she asked in a surprised voice. "Why?" 

"I read it because I figured I owed you at least that much," he said. "I mean, you took the time to write it, so I figured I could take the time and read it." He paused before continuing. "To be honest, I was going to just rip it up. But something stopped me. I needed to know why you did what you did." 

"And did you find the answer you were looking for in the letter," she asked hopefully. 

"Yes and no," he replied. "I know everything that you said in the letter was from your heart, and I forgive you. But why did you do it, Jesse?" 

"He's the reason why," she said, pointing at James. 

"James? I don't understand," Brock said in a confused voice. 

"It's a long explanation," she began with a sigh. "The story that I told you about my boyfriend wasn't all false. When James and I joined Team Rocket, we were . . . involved. He felt that we couldn't be together and still work as a team, so he said we should just break it off. It tore me apart, but I quickly got over it, or just covered up my feelings. I never figured out which way helped me get over our break up." 

"From the way you treat him, the thought of you two as a couple would have never crossed my mind," Brock stated. 

"It's just a front we put on. The fact of the matter is, we really care about each other. He's one of the most important people in my life, and I know he feels the same way about me," she concluded. "However, breaking up was one of the best decisions we made because we became an effective addition to the operation." 

"Don't take this the wrong way, but if the two of you are so effective, why haven't you succeeded in capturing Pikachu," he asked. 

"Well, that's a good question, actually; one I don't think I have a good answer to," she replied. "James and I were never about stealing other people's pokemon. Whenever our Boss ordered us to take pokemon, we would usually capture wild ones, and presented those. But then the Boss wanted Ash's Pikachu because his abilities were almost equal to that of a Raichu. I guess you could say that we haven't really put our hearts into capturing Pikachu." 

"You're still avoiding my question," Brock said. 

"I know I am," Jesse stated. "Our mission was to get you to trust me, as Julia, in hopes that you would give me Pikachu. We knew about your soft spot for girls, and figured that the mission would be easy enough. I especially thought that it would be simple enough to complete, and I expected you to give Pikachu to me whenever I asked you." 

"But Ash, Misty, and Pikachu weren't with me when we first met," Brock added. 

"Exactly. Call me egotistical, but I knew you liked me when we met. The problem came when Pikachu reacted the way he did when you introduced me to everyone else. I thought for sure that my cover was blown. What I didn't know was that Pikachu just didn't trust strangers. So then I had to get Pikachu to trust me." Jesse sighed and brushed a stray hair out of her face. "And during that time, me and you started to spend a lot of time together. Little by little, you began to break away the wall of defenses that I built to protect myself from being hurt." 

Brock smiled sadly. "Jesse, I . . ." 

"No, let me finish," she interrupted. "I built that wall so carefully. At first, everything you said didn't have any affect on me, but that quickly wore away. What totally shattered my defenses was when you told me you loved me. It had been on the same day, and exactly a year, after James and I broke off our relationship. And so I just let it all go, and I was honest with you for the first time," she said through her tears. 

Brock went over to sit next to Jesse, and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Jesse, for telling me the truth. You will never know how much it means to me." He tilted her chin up, and lowered his head for a kiss, but Jesse quickly turned her face away. 

"Brock, please don't . . ." Jesse whispered. 

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it," he replied with a sigh. "I only have one more question. Why did you give me the ring back?" 

"Brock, I couldn't keep the ring after everything that happened between us. It would have only reminded me of the terrible things I did to you," she replied. 

"Jesse, the reason I bought the ring was for good reasons. Every time you looked at your hand, I wanted you to smile and think of us. I want it to remind you of all the good things," he said. "Will you take it back?" 

"I would really like to take it back, and if I could, I would," she said. "However, you bought that ring for the girl you loved, not for me. The initial engraved on the inside of that ring represents the name of a girl I only pretended to be." 

Brock sighed and shook his head. "Jesse, I bought the ring for the woman that I still love. I fell in love with you for who you are inside, not for who you pretended to be." He took the necklace off and put it around Jesse's neck. "I want you to keep this to remind you of what we had together, but most importantly, to remind you of what a wonderful person you are deep down inside." 

A smile grew across Jesse's face, and she hugged Brock. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear. "I'll never forget what you and I shared. I love you, Brock." 

"I love you too, Jesse," he said, as he returned her hug. 

"I've always wanted to hear you call me by my name," she commented. "Everything will change, now." 

"I know it will, but we will always have this moment, Jesse," he replied as he kissed her. And as the two shared their last kiss, their last embrace, everything did change. Brock knew that Team Rocket would go back to their old tricks, and Jesse knew that Brock and his friends would do everything in their power to keep Team Rocket from capturing Pikachu. When their passionate embrace ended, Jesse stood up. 

"Wake up, James," she said, shaking her partner. "It's time to go." 

James stood up and stretched. "Ok, Jesse," he said in a sleepy voice. The two turned and began to walk away. When they got to the edge of the campsite, Jesse turned around. 

"Good bye, Brock," she said, with a smile. "Prepare for trouble." 

"And you better make that double." 

"Eventually we'll capture Pikachu." 

"Tomorrow's another day, so don't look so blue." 

"But once we cash in our crop," 

"We will have finally reached the top!" 

"Jesse." 

"James." 

"We are Team Rocket, reunited at last." 

"And along the way, we'll surely have a blast." 

As the two finished their slogan, Jesse and James disappeared into the darkness of the forest, and their laughter could be heard echoing off the trees. The next day, they would go back to their old ways again. However on that particular night, everyone would sleep peacefully . . . 

Well, I'm all done! I hope the ending didn't disappoint you. Please leave your comments. It would be greatly appreciated. I thought ahead to what some of you might ask. "What happened the next day, after Jesse and James left?" I suppose we can assume that everything was the same as the events that occurred on the show (concerning the Pokemon League Competition). Team Rocket still tried to steal the torch both while Ash and Co was carrying it, and then again at the Opening Ceremonies. And, of course, anything else they try to pull off still happens. 

SECOND DISCLAIMER: Anything written in this fanfic, that was similar to what happens on the show, was borrowed without permission. The people who wrote the real stuff get all the credit, of course. I just thought to throw it in there for an interesting twist. Well, bye-bye for real this time! 


End file.
